


an apple a day

by moonlikeyou



Series: heartbeat [1]
Category: GOT7, JJ Project
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hospital, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fluff, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, background namjin - Freeform, background yoonmin -Freeform, bts as background characters, doctor! jinyoung, surgeon! jaebum
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-25
Updated: 2018-01-05
Packaged: 2019-01-05 07:56:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 28,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12186015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonlikeyou/pseuds/moonlikeyou
Summary: Doctor Park Jinyoung, star of Seoul Medical Centre's paediatric department, is used to being treated by nothing less than starry-eyed adoration and respect. So, its no surprise that when Im Jaebum, a surgeon with maddeningly pretty twin moles, kicks him out of "his" operating room, Jinyoung gets a little mad.Okay, maybe more than a little mad. But it's all Im Jaebum's fault anyway.





	1. Chapter 1

Jinyoung hums as he makes his way back to the nurse’s station after doing the usual midnight check-up on the kids. He’s greeted by the gentle snores from nurse Jimin, his colleague, who currently has his arms pillowed under his head, taking a quick snooze before one of the kids ring for help. Jinyoung smiles at the familiar sight as he takes a long sip out of of his coffee cup. “Tired, need caffeine ASAP”, the side of the bottle reads, and Jinyoung thinks it’s a pretty good description of his life in general.

 

Jinyoung would describe himself as a somewhat boring person, the only important things in his life being his job, the kids at his job and coffee. Yet, most had the misconception that doctor Park Jinyoung, 26, the youngest paediatrician to date at the prestigious Seoul Medical Centre, lived a significantly more exciting life, saving lives left and right.

Park Jinyoung had enrolled in an elite medical school program fresh out of high school, which allowed him to acquire a Doctor of Medicine degree after only six years of intensive training. The program was fairly new, but with Jinyoung’s hard work, he had gotten top results in the small pool of gifted students and a job at Seoul Medical Centre, a mighty feat few were able to achieve. Many young nurses and doctors looked up to him, not just for his exceptional grades but also for his popularity in the paediatric wards. The kids loved him, and his small desk was cluttered by tons of thank you cards from his adoring patients. Also, he was apparently somewhat of a legend at his old school, and trainee doctors at the hospital would frequently head to the wards looking for him and asking questions, to which Jinyoung would reply to patiently and thoroughly.

 

Fancy titles aside, Jinyoung was just an overworked, stressed doctor who barely had any time for himself since his work took up too big a portion in his daily life. Although his job required a minimum daily intake of 5 espressos, Jinyoung loved his job, even though it made him feel grounded sometimes. The smiles of his young patients’ faces when Jinyoung checked up on them, and seeing his kids leave the hospital healthily and happily made his hard work worth it.

 

Jinyoung sets down his bottle and starts to go through the heavy binder containing the patients’ information and their schedules for tomorrow- _or today_ , Jinyoung thinks as he glances up at the round, white clock on the opposite wall. It was currently 1 am, and if Jinyoung was lucky he could probably squeeze in two or three hours of sleep before his early morning round.

 

The first page in the binder is a notice from the department of surgery saying that Kunpimook Bhuwakul was scheduled for an open-heart surgery two days later. Jinyoung leans back and frowns- the name didn’t ring a bell. Unless…

 

Jinyoung smacks his forehead, marvelling at his own stupidity. Kunpimook Bhuwakul was Bambam’s real name. Bambam was one of the ward’s regulars, since the kid had a congenital heart defect and frequently came in for check-ups and operations. Jinyoung had known the energetic boy for about a year and a half now, but for some reason, he never managed to get the boy’s name right.

 

“Cardiac surgery, huh.” Jinyoung mumbles to himself as he scans the tiny print on the notice. It was just some pretty standard stuff about what the patient shouldn’t do before the surgery, but Jinyoung’s head hurt as he imagined Bambam reacting to the news. (It was probably not news to Bambam, seeing the close date, but Bambam had a tendency to zone out whenever someone explained important things to him)

 

Bambam was incredibly squeamish when it came to injections and surgery, as seen from his strong insistence that “Jinyoungie-hyung” hold his hand when he needed to have his blood drawn. Needless to say, Bambam would definitely freak out at the prospect of having his heart sliced open for surgery.

 

Jinyoung sighs, resting his head on the cold, plastic desk. He loved his job, but the kids could be such a pain sometimes.

 

Jinyoung dozes off pleasantly on his desk for about 5 minutes when he’s shook wildly. “Jinyoung, Dabin just woke up from a nightmare and she needs you.” Nurse Jimin says. “Coming, just give me a second.” Jinyoung rubs his eyes and gets up, eying his half-finished coffee mournfully.

 

Just another day (or dawn) in his life, right?

 

\----

 

Later that day, Jinyoung heads to Bambam’s bed to deliver the news about his impending heart surgery. Bambam takes the news better than Jinyoung expected, only blinking twice and rubbing his eyes sleepily.

 

“Bammie, did you hear me? You’re having an operation tomorrow.” Jinyoung presses on when Bambam doesn’t show his usual reaction of screaming and crying. Jinyoung wasn’t particularly fond of the idea of Bambam throwing another of his famous tantrums at 10 am, but it was better than the alternate option of Bambam only realising he had an operation when he was at the surgical department and giving the poor surgeon a headache.

 

“I heard you, hyung.” Bambam nods, surprisingly calm. “Heart surgery tomorrow, right? I’m a big boy now, I can handle it!” Jinyoung smiles at the small boy, who’s waving his arms wildly to do some sort of dance(?)- It’s weird, and if Jinyoung didn’t know Bambam’s eccentricities better, he would think that he was hyperventilating. At least Bambam seems happy.  

 

“My kids grow up so fast,” Jinyoung sighs, pretending to wipe tears from his eye as Bambam laughs. “Don’t worry hyung, I’ll let you accompany me to the operation room.” Bambam giggles and sniffs haughtily, but Jinyoung can see from his pale little hands, gripping the bed rails tightly, that the boy is nervous about the operation.

 

“I’ll see what I can do.” Jinyoung ruffles Bambam’s hair gently as he makes a mental note to check hospital protocol to see whether he’s allowed to accompany Bambam during the surgery. He’ll probably need an extra cup of coffee to get through the day, but the answering grin that lights up Bambam’s face is worth it.

 

(Turns out Jinyoung needs not one, but two extra cups of coffee to get through the day due to the seemingly unending queue outside Dr. Son’s office. It’s a relief that Dr. Son approves of his request speedily and Jinyoung gets to tell Bambam that yes, his Jinyoungie hyung can go with him before Bambam’s bed time. Bambam squeezes his hand so hard that Jinyoung’s hand goes numb for a few seconds, but Jinyoung falls asleep with a smile on his face when his head hits his desk that night.)

 

\----

 

The next day goes by in a blur, and Jinyoung finds himself caught up in a seemingly never-ending amount of work. He barely has time to breathe after completing his rounds,  signing off a bunch of paperwork, checking on little Youngjae in physiotherapy and making a mad dash to the radiology department to sign an approval form for Dabin’s x-ray scan.

 

Jinyoung munches on a turkey sandwich as he walks along Bambam’s hospital bed as they make their way to the surgery department, the boy staring at his sandwich enviously. Jinyoung takes a big bite out of the sandwich, and Bambam practically salivates on the spot.

 

“Can I have a sandwich too, hyung?” Bambam says, sitting up on the hospital bed as they enter a lift. Jinyoung waggles his eyebrows at him and finishes off the sandwich in one large chomp,”Sorry buddy. You can’t eat until the surgery is over, remember?”

 

Bambam pouts and Jinyoung laughs, patting him on the back and motioning for him to sit back down,”You can have as many sandwiches as you want after the surgery if your mum lets you, deal?”  Bambam does the arm-waving dance again (Jinyoung really ought to look that up, he feels like an old man) and manages to keep up a constant stream of chatter about everything from his pet chinchilla to what he wants for dessert. Jinyoung only listens half-heartedly, smiling and nodding while Bambam gestures enthusiastically.

 

Jinyoung feels slightly guilty for not really paying attention to Bambam, but he’s tired and weighted down by the pile of paperwork in his arms. Since Bambam’s surgery would take around four hours, he had decided to work while waiting for him. With some luck, he would manage to get through one-fourth of the lengthy report sent in by the neurology department about this new kid’s tumour.

 

Bambam quiets down uncharacteristically as they enter the surgery department and he gets checked in for surgery. Nurses in green masks are there in no time to take Bambam away to get changed into a surgery gown, and Bambam looks at Jinyoung, the slightest hint of fear in his trembling pupils.

 

“I’ll wait for you here, don’t worry. I’ll go inside with you later-” Jinyoung gives Bambam’s hand one last squeeze before he’s whisked away by a flurry of green robes. Left alone, Jinyoung stands on the other side of the curtains where Bambam’s changing behind, leafing through his papers idly. He had a fair amount of work to look through, and he had better start if he wanted to finish-

 

“What are you doing here?” A deep voice says to him, and Jinyoung looks up to find a man in a green mask glaring at him. The man’s hair and face are covered, only showing his cat-like eyes, framed prettily with two twin moles above his left eye. His shoulders are broad, and in an alternate universe where Jinyoung wasn’t sleep deprived and half-dead, he would’ve found him attractive.

 

There’s a name tag on mysterious semi-hot man’s shirt: Im Jaebum, Jinyoung reads.

 

Jinyoung realises with a start that the man is still glaring at him. “Well?” The man demands, and Jinyoung hurries to get his name tag from his coat pocket.

 

“I’m Doctor Park Jinyoung from the paediatrics, and I’m here to accompany Bambam for his surgery, you see. I’ve gotten approval from the higher ups, and it should be alright?” Jinyoung rambles, holding out his name tag which indeed certifies him as Doctor Park Jinyoung, paediatrician.

 

However, the man -Im Jaebum- merely sneers at him.

 

“Paediatrician? Don’t make me laugh. My operating room, my rules. Leave.” Im Jaebum scoffs, and Jinyoung feels his temper rise.

 

Trying to reason with the other man, Jinyoung puts on the fakest smile he can muster and practically purrs at the man,”I’m just here to stay with Bambam, you see, and if you’ll just let me-”

 

Im Jaebum lifts one infuriatingly handsome eyebrow, ”Who the fuck is Bonbon? Get out.”, and Jinyoung loses it completely. As the rising star of the hospital, he’s never been treated so dismissively, not even in medical school, when his professor thought he was nothing but a pretty face and did everything to make sure he failed.

 

Doctor Park Jinyoung is many things, but he surely isn’t a pushover.

 

Jinyoung opens his mouth to say something, but thinks better of it. He isn’t going to sink to Im Jaebum’s level and start a fight in a goddamned operation room, even when he’s pissed beyond measure and ready to deck Im Jaebum. Not when Bambam’s lying in a hospital bed 5 feet away, terrified.

 

So Jinyoung leans in close to Im Jaebum’s annoying face and whispers “Asshole” with as much contempt as he can. In hindsight, it might've been slightly over dramatic, but Jinyoung feels mildly satisfied when he pulls away and finds Im Jaebum’s ears flushed completely red. He throws Im Jaebum one last nasty glare before hurrying to find Bambam and tell him that _no, hyung can’t go into the operation room with you but hyung will be outside, waiting for you_. Bambam seems more dazed than upset when Jinyoung gives him one last hug, and Im Jaebum’s no longer there when he walks outside.

 

The nurses guide him to a bench at the entrance of the department of surgery, and Jinyoung sits down, setting down his stack of paperwork. It feels almost like a punishment, sitting outside where anyone passing by can see him sitting there with his papers like a kid in detention. He closes his eyes, trying to calm down, but all that comes to mind is rude surgeon Im Jaebum and his fucking face.

 

_What an asshole._


	2. Chapter 2

Jaebum finally leaves the operating theatre 4 hours later, exhausted.  He instructs the nurses to push the kid outside as he takes off his surgical gloves and packs up his surgical tools. The surgery had went smoothly, and the kid with the weird long name was still sleeping from the after effects of the anesthetics.

 

Jaebum washes his hands and strides outside quickly, only stopping once to throw away his scrub cap. He gets to the entrance in no time, and the receptionist area is empty except for someone sleeping on the bench opposite the entrance.

 

Jaebum switches on the lights, irritated. This was why he hated late operations, he always ends up asking some person waiting for their surgery literally 15 hours later to leave. Jaebum walks towards the sleeping figure, noticing the huge pile of papers next to the man’s (woman’s?) head.

 

 _Not another one of those angry middle-aged housewives_ , Jaebum groans to himself. He hated arguing with patients, especially the unreasonable ones who were just complaining to start shit.

 

The figure mumbles in their sleep and turns so that the person isn’t facing Jaebum with their back anymore. Jaebum nearly gasps out loud as he sees that the figure sleeping on the bench was the kid’s doctor from earlier.

 

The doctor with pretty eyes, doctor Park… Jinyoung?

 

Doctor Park’s cheeks are flushed as he sighs in his sleep, and Jaebum can’t help but stare at his plush, pink lips as they open and close to the rhythm of his breathing. Doctor Park’s long lashes flutter open gently, and Jaebum looks away so quickly he almost snaps his neck.

 

Doctor Park rubs his eyes and stretches, sighing in a way that shouldn’t be so breathtaking. Jaebum is suddenly grateful for his mask that covers his rapidly spreading blush. “What are you looking at?” Park Jinyoung snaps at him, but Jaebum can’t find it in him to get angry. Doctor Park’s cheeks are flushed, the pout on his pink lips making him look like an angry kitten.

 

 _Cute_ , Jaebum thinks before berating himself mentally. Doctor Park clearly hated his guts, and for a second Jaebum feels bad for scoffing at the doctor a few hours ago.

 

The guilt goes away as fast as it comes as Doctor Park keeps glaring at him, and Jaebum feels a wave of pure fatigue take over his body. He hasn’t slept in 23 hours, and he’s too tired to deal with pretty doctors and their issues.

 

“Uh.” Jaebum starts, but gets distracted by the way Park Jinyoung’s hair, ruffled from sleep, sticks out in different directions. “Well?” Park Jinyoung folds his arms defensively, oblivious to his hair that roughly resembles a bird’s nest.  

 

Jaebum is now half convinced that Park Jinyoung isn’t even real, because who could still look so beautiful with a bedhead like this? It was just not... realistic.

 

“Your kid is in there.” Jaebum manages to say without stuttering, but Park Jinyoung still looks half-awake. “Your kid, Doctor Park- Banban or something.” Jaebum adds, and notes the way Park Jinyoung’s face practically lights up at the mention of his patient.

 

Park Jinyoung scrambles to get his papers, and Jaebum feels somewhat unsettled to see him go like this. Doctor Park leaves without as much as a glance at Jaebum, and Jaebum can’t resist calling out to him as he leaves,”You should probably comb your hair, by the way.”

 

Jaebum chuckles lightly when he hears Park Jinyoung’s strangled squawk as he presumably catches sight of himself in a mirror, and he feels inexplicably lighter as he switches off the hall lights and gets ready to leave for the second time.

 

“This isn’t over, Im Jaebum!” Jaebum hears Park Jinyoung whisper-shout, and he smiles before catching himself and frowning, an unfamiliar lump growing in his chest.

 

Doctor Park Jinyoung was something else, alright.

 

\----

 

The next day, Jinyoung is woken up by Jimin as usual. However, instead of taking a sip of coffee/ brushing his teeth/ going back to sleep as usual, he pulls out a tiny comb and combs his hair, first thing.

 

“Hyung, what are you doing? Are you planning to become an idol now?” Jimin laughs as he sees Jinyoung gazing at his own reflection in the mirror, brushing his hair.

 

“No.” Jinyoung frowns at his reflection and combs frantically at that one strand that refuses to stay down, “I’m just trying out a new look.”

 

“Oooooh fashionable.” Jimin waggles his eyebrows at Jinyoung and escapes before Jinyoung can reach out to pinch his cheeks. _Brat_ , Jinyoung thinks fondly before reaching for Jimin’s prized tub of hair gel.

 

Jinyoung finally deems his hair presentable after 15 minutes of styling (read: rigourously patting down) his hair, and he heads outside quickly to supervise the kids taking their medicine. To Jinyoung’s relief, no one is complaining about the bitter medicine, and after greeting Lisa and her 23 stuffed toys -( “Morning Jisoo, Jennie, Mino-” “No, Doctor Jinyoung! That one’s Bobby!”), Jinyoung goes to check on Bambam.

 

Bambam had been out like a light since the surgery had ended, not even waking up when his mother, who had been waiting for him anxiously at the ward, hugged him tightly to her chest and cried. Jinyoung had to reassure her over and over that it was just the leftover effects of the anesthetics, and Bambam was more than okay. Bambam’s heart rate and blood pressure were both fine, so there shouldn’t be anything to worry about, but there was still that hint of lingering concern in Jinyoung’s mind. What if Bambam had been scared in the operating room, all alone? It was all Jinyoung’s fault for not standing up to that horrible Im Jaebum and leaving Bambam alone. It was Im Jaebum’s fault for being a pretentious asshole.

 

 _“My operation room, my rules.”_ Who did Im Jaebum think he was? Some overpowered anime protagonist? Jinyoung snorts and shakes his head to himself as he runs into someone coming out of Bambam’s room.

 

It was, of course, Im Jaebum, decked out in his green scrub. He wasn’t wearing a mask, and Jinyoung’s heart skips a beat against his will upon seeing his plush lips, curled up into a small smile. Im Jaebum was probably off duty, since he was wearing these small hoop earrings. Lucky asshole.

 

“Speak of the devil.” Jinyoung mutters as Im Jaebum brushes past him without as much as a hurried ‘sorry’. Im Jaebum looks up in surprise as a hint of recognition passes his eyes,”Oh, it’s you.”

 

 _What kind of response is that?_ Jinyoung screams internally as Im Jaebum gives him a once over. “Uh.” Jinyoung wants to give a sassy retort to wipe that smug look _clean_ off Im Jaebum’s face, but his tongue goes numb and he can’t really feel his face as Im Jaebum takes out a familiar blue notebook and hands it to him.

 

“You left your notebook on the bench.” Im Jaebum says, smile widening as Jinyoung blushes and grabs his notebook with a muttered thanks.

 

“What are you doing here anyway?” Jinyoung’s lips finally unfreeze and he asks. Im Jaebum looks so out of place in all his (ugly) duck green glory, in contrast to the soft blues and whites of the ward.

 

“Oh, I just checked on Bamboo, he’s recovering nicely.” For some reason, Im Jaebum’s eyes never leave Jinyoung’s face, and Jinyoung has to dig his fingernails into his palms to stop himself from blushing.

 

“It’s Bambam.” Jinyoung mutters through gritted teeth, and Im Jaebum laughs, his shining white teeth nearly popping out of his jaws.

 

 _Are those teeth even real?_ Jinyoung wonders.

 

“Whatever.” Im Jaebum makes to leave after glancing at the clock, and Jinyoung gladly moves aside to let him pass. “Nice hair, but keep the bed head- it’s cute.” Im Jaebum says as a parting remark, and Jinyoung has to resist the urge to throw his shoe at Im Jaebum’s broad back as he walks down the hallway.

 

 _Im Jaebum was, for the lack of a better word, simply insufferable_ , Jinyoung thinks as he ruffles his freshly styled hair, making it messy again.

\----

 

Not long after Im Jaebum leaves, Doctor Son sends down a bunch of medical students, so Jinyoung barely gets a moment to check on Bambam until he has to go show them around the ward. Bambam seems fine as he helps Jinyoung ruffle his hair a bit more, his small hands rubbing enthusiastically on Jinyoung’s scalp.

 

Jinyoung dashes away after a few minutes to greet the batch of doe-eyed medical students with Nurse Jimin and Doctor Jackson, and they hustle around telling the students what to do. The students are about the same age as Jinyoung, and Jinyoung feels strangely old as they chat with the kids about the latest trends- not that Jinyoung knows any.

 

Jinyoung, Jimin and Jackson finally get a break when the medical students get accustomed to their surroundings and the staff for the next shift come in. Jinyoung changes into his ‘comfortable clothes’ (“They aren’t THAT bad, Jimin!” “Whatever helps you sleep at night.”) as he gets ready to go home for the first time in ages. He hums happily as he waves to Doctor Namjoon who’s come to take his place for the next twelve hours, and heads to the hospital cafe to grab a quick bite with Jimin and Jackson.

 

The hospital cafe is a small, cosy coffee shop where many of the hospital staff frequent for a quick coffee or some baked goods. Jinyoung inhales the welcoming aroma deeply as Jimin laughs at him,”We get it, hyung. You’ve missed your coffee.” “What? Coffee is my other half, after all.” Jinyoung glares at Jimin before bursting into laughter himself.

 

God, it felt great to be off duty.

 

“Banana bread and coffee, as usual?” Jackson shouts from the cashier, and Jinyoung nods before taking out his phone.

 

“Meet anyone interesting lately?” Jimin peers at his screen across the small table, and Jinyoung barely manages to hide his screen (Google ‘how do you know if someone is wearing dentures.’) ,”Nah, I don’t even have time to breathe.”

 

“Really?” Jimin shares a look with Jackson, who sets down a tray piled with baked goodies. “Yeah, why?” Jinyoung says, nibbling on one of the cafe’s signature oatmeal cookies.

 

“Mrmph mmmrpph mmmrrrmph” Jackson mumbles with his mouth full of chocolate cake, and Jinyoung waits for him to swallow patiently. “It’s just that Jin-hyung was asking about you for someone?” Jackson gulps down his cake and says.

 

“Jin? Namjoon’s boyfriend?” Jinyoung leans forward, suddenly interested. “Yep.” jimin says, sipping on his lemonade. “Who asked about me?” Jinyoung presses.

 

“Don’t know. Jin-hyung didn’t say.” Jackson says, stealing a slice of Jinyoung’s bread. Jinyoung slaps his hand playfully and Jackson chomps down the banana bread in record speed before pulling a face at him and teasing him,”Don’t be a scrimpy asshole, Jinyoungie.”

 

“Oh right.” Jinyoung suddenly remembers that he hasn’t told his colleagues about his ongoing feud with Im Jaebum. “Speaking of assholes, let me tell you about this one.” Jinyoung recounts everything that’s happened with Im Jaebum ever since that night at the operating room, save for the part where he called Jinyoung ‘cute’-honestly, what did that even mean?-, and the two listen to Jinyoung’s rant, raising an eyebrow or two while Jinyoung goes into maybe a little too much detail about Im Jaebum and his annoying face.  

 

Jinyoung takes a long sip of coffee after his rant while Jimin and Jackson exchange more looks- _seriously, what was going on?_

 

Jimin finally says,”He’s not that bad compared to the other surgeons. Once, one of them yelled at me for dropping my pen in a ‘working environment’. I was at the receptionist area!”

 

“Yeah, but that still doesn’t excuse his-” Jinyoung says indignantly, and Jackson strokes his imaginary goatee thoughtfully,”He checked on Bambam though, he can’t be that bad.”

 

“He called him by the wrong name. Three times.” Jinyoung frowns, not willing to give up on trying to convert his colleagues into members of the Anti-Jaebum cult.

 

“Yeah.” Jimin admits ruefully before saying,”But he’s close with Jin-hyung, and Jin-hyung says he’s nice.” “Unbelievable.” Jinyoung’ eyes nearly fall out of their sockets. “Yeah, I heard he’s really good to his family.” Jackson says as Jinyoung splutters.

 

“He’s clearly good at what he does anyway, he’s our surgery department's ‘Golden hand’.” Jimin adds, and Jinyoung nearly spits out his cake,”He’s the ‘golden hand’?”

 

“Yeah.” Jackson smirks at Jinyoung’s flabbergasted expression,”Guess you’ve met your match, Golden Boy.” Jinyoung swats at Jackson and he moves to hide behind Jimin. “I can ask Jin-hyung about him for you if you want.” Even sweet Jimin joins in the teasing, and Jinyoung regrets the day he introduced Jimin to Jackson as the two break out in maniacal laughter, leaving Jinyoung to shove cake into his mouth, trying to hide his flaming face.


	3. Chapter 3

Thankfully, the next week goes by without any appearances or mentions of Im Jaebum, save for the time Jinyoung found Jimin texting Im Jaebum during their lunch break. Jinyoung had jokingly threatened to confiscate his phone, but Jimin had only told him to ‘“let go of his petty grudge”.

 

Jinyoung snorts at the memory. He would never let go of this grudge as long as Im Jaebum didn’t change that attitude of his.

 

“Jinyoung, Jinyoung!” Jimin yells and Jinyoung’s break comes to an abrupt end as he rushes out of the nurse’s station,”What’s going on?”

 

“This kid just came in with appendicitis.” Jimin blurts as he hands a file to Jinyoung. “Here’s his examination report from the ER. Get him settled down for now until I find Jackson’s sorry ass.”

 

Jinyoung scans the kid’s medical history on the first page of the file quickly. Kim Yugyeom, age 10, mostly clean medical history, emergency contacts contacted. Should be an easy case.

 

“Where is he?” Jinyoung asks Jimin who looks like he’s ready to kill Jackson. Jimin motions at Bambam’s room and runs off, leaving Jinyoung to deal with the kid. Great.

 

Jinyoung puts on his Nice Doctor smile and walks into the room. Bambam and Youngjae are playing some kind of game together, and they both wave at Jinyoung who smiles back half-heartedly, heading for the new kid in the corner.

 

“Hey, I’m doctor Park Jinyoung. Are you Yugyeom?” Jinyoung asks the kid, who’s clutching his stomach, face contorted in pain. The kid nods, and Jinyoung sits down next to his bed. Yugyeom is tall for his age, with long lashes and a mole beneath his eye.

 

 _Eye moles just like Im Jaebum_ , Jinyoung’s brain supplies unhelpfully.

 

 _Shut up_ , Jinyoung tells himself, then realises that he said it outloud. Yugyeom looks at him with wide eyes, and Jinyoung apologises hurriedly,”Sorry, Yugyeom. Hyung was just talking to himself. Where does your stomach hurt?”

 

Yugyeom blinks at him, and all Jinyoung can think of is _please don’t cry please don’t cry please DON’T_. Jinyoung never really knew what to do when kids started to cry, and he mentally prepares to run and grab Jimin for this emergency.

 

To Jinyoung’s surprise, Yugyeom giggles,”You’re funny.”

 

Bambam sniggers from his bed, and Jinyoung smiles a little despite everything. Yugyeom shows him where his stomach hurts, and Jinyoung assures him that he’ll get an appendectomy (“An astronomy?” “No, Yugyeom. An appendectomy.”) and he’ll be all right in no time.

 

Yugyeom’s lips wobble at the mention of having a surgery, and Jinyoung is already eyeing the tissues on Bambam’s bedside table when Bambam pipes up,”A surgery? I’ve had one too! It’s not scary and doesn’t hurt at all!”

 

Bambam’s terrified face before he entered the operating theatre flashes in front of Jinyoung’s eyes, but _Jinyoung is a professional_ , he tells himself, and _professionals do not make fun of their kid-patients_.

 

On the bright side, Yugyeom seems reassured by Bambam’s statement and settles down into his pillows,”I’m not scared. My hyung’s a surgeon.”

 

“Really? That’s nice!” Jinyoung says, standing up and getting ready to leave. He still has to sign off a bunch of forms before his shift ends, and Jackson should be back anytime to look after the kids.

 

“My hyung’s a really good surgeon, he saves lots of people every day! Hyung always comes home late, but that’s okay because I’m a big boy and I can take care of myself while hyung saves people.” Yugyeom rambles as Jinyoung writes a memo for Jackson to read later.  

 

Yugyeom tugs on Jinyoung’s sleeve,”Can I see my hyung? I miss my hyung.”

 

“You’ll just have to wait a bit longer, Yugyeom,” Jinyoung pinches Yugyeom’s tiny nose. “Your hyung will be here to see you after you get checked up, alright?”

 

Yugyeom doesn’t seem fully convinced, but he nods and settles down, so Jinyoung takes that as a cue to leave.

 

 _Just 3 more hours until this shift ends_ , Jinyoung thinks to himself as he sits back down at his uncomfortable desk.

 

Sadly, Yugyeom’s hyung doesn’t show up, not even when Jinyoung’s shift ends. Yugyeom’s sitting at his bed staring into space when Jinyoung checks on him, and Jinyoung can’t help but feel a little bad for him.

 

“Bam?” Jinyoung calls out, and Bambam’s head pops up in the middle of a mountain of blankets.

 

“Can you lend Yugyeom some of your comics? He doesn’t have anything else to do.” Jinyoung says, and Bambam readily agrees. Yugyeom seems much happier once he gets his hands on the glossy comics, and his eyes practically shine when he catches sight of the characters on the cover.

 

“You like Dragon Ball Z too?” Yugyeom says, thinly concealed excitement in his voice. “Yeah! Who’s your favourite character?” Bambam answers, sounding just as enthusiastic as the other boy. Jinyoung leaves them chattering happily, a small smile on his face.

 

\----

 

Jinyoung heads back to the hospital at the crack of dawn to get ready for his next shift. With a cup of his favourite coffee (Iced Americano from the 24-hour cafe close to his house) in hand, he takes the lift to the paediatric ward, and nearly gets a heart attack when a man sitting on a bench outside the ward stands up abruptly and grabs his arm.

 

“What the- Im Jaebum?” Jinyoung’s eyes go round as he notices the familiar twin moles. Im Jaebum looks shaken up, his eyes bloodshot and framed with dark circles. Jinyoung pries the other man’s hands off his arm, noticing the tremble in the other man’s hands.

 

Im Jaebum’s voice is raw (from crying?) when he finally speaks,”My brother, Yugyeom. Is he in there?” “Yugyeom’s your brother?” Jinyoung gasps incredulously.

 

Even in this ridiculous situation, Jinyoung can’t get his mind around the fact that sweet Yugyeom’s hyung that he spoke so highly of was asshole Im Jaebum. Or the fact that Im Jaebum had family at all.

 

“Yeah.” Im Jaebum says, looking impatient,”Is he in there or not?” Jinyoung nods, still in awe that Im Jaebum actually cared about something. Unbelievable.

 

Im Jaebum’s eyes are wild when he grabs Jinyoung’s shoulders,”Can I go inside to see him? Just for a bit?” _Wow._ Jinyoung wasn’t expecting that.

 

“It’s five fucking am, and you should know the visiting hours anyway, right?” Jinyoung frowns. Jaebum looks frantic now, his hands shaking hard and eyes darting around like he’s ready to barge into the ward.

 

“Please, I’ve got surgeries lined up until next week, I need to know if he’s okay. He’s never been in hospital before, and I’m his only immediate family around now.”Jaebum begs.

 

Jinyoung briefly considers telling Im Jaebum to leave and calling security on him, as revenge for what happened after Bambam’s surgery, but Im Jaebum looks so desperate, like he would die if he didn’t see his brother, and Jinyoung softens.

 

Jinyoung knows he's breaking at least four hospital rules by sneaking unauthorized persons into the wards, not to mention at this ungodly hour, but there's something about the situation -this night, this man, his trembling hands- that compels him to do it. 

 

“Alright.” Jinyoung finally says, feeling Im Jaebum stop trembling and loosening his grip on him. “Thanks.” Im Jaebum says, looking anywhere but at Jinyoung.

 

“I can’t guarantee Yugyeom will be up though. And just for a little while.”

 

Im Jaebum nods obediently like a schoolkid following the teacher’s orders as Jinyoung presses the passcode into the keypad next to the door. The door bleeps open, and Jinyoung motions for Im Jaebum to stay behind him when a sleepy “Who’s that?” comes from the nurse’s station.

 

Jinyoung feels Im Jaebum tense up next to him, and hurries to yell,”Namjoon, it’s Jinyoung!”

 

“Help yourself.” Namjoon yells back sleepily, and Jinyoung slips past the nurse’s station successfully with Im Jaebum following close behind.

 

Jinyoung grabs Im Jaebum’s hand as they sneak past the rooms, Jinyoung trying to make his own footsteps louder to cover Im Jaebum’s muffled footsteps.

 

Holding hands with Im Jaebum is surprisingly not weird, the other man’s hand a comforting weight in Jinyoung’s palm. Jinyoung almost misses Im Jaebum’s warm hand in his as they reach Yugyeom’s room before he catches himself.

 

Jinyoung wriggles free of Im Jaebum’s grasp, wiping his hands on his coat in an exaggerated manner. _What in the world was that?_

 

 _I’m out of my fucking mind_ , Jinyoung thinks as he leads Im Jaebum to Yugyeom’s bed. Im Jaebum nearly sobs with relief as he sees Yugyeom, and Yugyeom almost screams out of joy when he catches sight of his brother through droopy eyes.

 

Jinyoung quickly shushes Yugyeom as Im Jaebum pulls Yugyeom into a tight hug, Jinyoung’s lips curling up in a small smile as he draws the curtains around the brothers to give them some privacy.It was evident that Im Jaebum adored his little brother- his only redeeming quality, maybe?

 

Jinyoung opens the curtains around them after a few minutes, and Im Jaebum gives Yugyeom one last hug reluctantly, promising to visit once he had time.

 

Im Jaebum kisses Yugyeom’s forehead gently and tucks him into bed before following Jinyoung outside. They’re almost outside when Namjoon pops his head out of the changing room and Jinyoung almost jumps out of his skin.

 

Im Jaebum manages to hide behind a storage cupboard when Namjoon says,”Going out again, Jinyoung?”

 

“Um, yeah.” Jinyoung’s heart is racing a mile a minute, but he tries to keep his voice calm. _Just a little more and it’s over_ , he tells himself. “I wanted to get a drink from the vending machine.”

 

Fortunately, Namjoon doesn’t seem to suspect. “Be quick then, I’m leaving soon.” Namjoon says before going back into the changing room, and Jinyoung grabs Im Jaebum and bolts for the door, only pausing for a millisecond to punch in the passcode.

 

They’re both breathing hard when they burst outside the ward, and Jinyoung’s back aches as they collapse onto the bench outside. _Should’ve kept that masseuse’s business card Jimin gave me last week_ , Jinyoung thinks bitterly.

 

Im Jaebum finally breaks the heavy silence,”Thank you.” “Yeah, yeah, sure.” Jinyoung waves a hand in the air dismissively. “At least I let people into _my_ ward.” He can’t resist adding in a dig at Im Jaebum’s stubbornness, but to his surprise, Im Jaebum nods, agreeing with him.

 

Jinyoung briefly wonders if it's opposites day, or just a very, very bizarre dream.

 

“I was wrong for not letting you in that night.” Im Jaebum winces, like apologizing was hurting him physically. “I didn’t understand how it felt to be separated from someone you cared about.”

 

Jinyoung raises his eyebrows,”It took you that long, huh?”

 

“I’ve never been separated from Yugyeom for long, you see. Yugyeom’s actually my half brother, our mother remarried after my dad died and had Yugyeom. She moved couldn’t cope with the stress of raising another child, so she left Yugyeom with me right when I turned 18, and it’s always just been the two of us ever since.” Im Jaebum explains, “We don’t have any family or close family friends here in Seoul, so that’s why I freaked out majorly when I got the call about Yugyeom being sick.”

 

“I’m sorry.” Jinyoung murmurs, and Im Jaebum shakes his head firmly, finally looking up to meet Jinyoung’s eyes,”Don’t be. And I’m the one who should be sorry.”

 

Jinyoung raises his eyebrows as Im Jaebum goes on,”I was impatient and being an entitled brat which was quite unprofessional and rude of me.”

 

“Yeah, you were pretty bratty.” Jinyoung’s lips curl into a smile involuntarily, and Im Jaebum looks nothing but hopeful when he smiles too, not the infatuating smirk but a soft, genuine smile,”So, apology accepted?”

 

“For now. I need to keep up my nice doctor reputation in the ward.” Jinyoung teases, only semi-serious. Im Jaebum’s tight jaw relaxes, and his eyes crinkling into crescent moons, and Jinyoung forgets how to breathe for a second.

 

“You should probably go before Namjoon comes out and see you.” Jinyoung blurts once he remembers how to breathe again, and he feels inexplicably lighter when Im Jaebum waves to him and disappears into the lift.

 

Weird.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello im back with a new chapter!! i feel like im slacking on my chat fic but whatever at least i got an update out haha ive got a lot on my plate but ill try and post an excerpt if not the whole chapter soon  
> i also started this new chat fic slash hsm au with my friend n its her bday tmr so it would be great if you could check it out [here!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12282576) its going to be a fun project so i hope you all enjoy  
> lastly thanks for all the kudos, subscriptions, bookmarks and lovely comments! pls let me know your thoughts and ideas n ill try my best to deliver!! 
> 
> 20171007


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jinyoung raises his eyebrows at Jimin, who mouths shut up above Yugyeom’s head. Jinyoung rolls his eyes at Jimin before squeezing Yugyeom’s hands,”Youngjae and Bambam told you to be brave like Gook, right?”
> 
> Yugyeom sniffles,”His name is Goku.”

After everything that’s happened with Im Jaebum, Jinyoung would really like to live a peaceful, relatively boring, Im Jaebum-free life-- with his family, friends and maybe a cat or two. But to Jinyoung’s despair, he starts seeing Im Jaebum everywhere in the hospital.

 

He’s eating his lunch at the canteen with Jimin as usual when he spots Im Jaebum with that other surgeon- What’s his name again? Marcus?- sitting right in front of them. Im Jaebum spots him and smiles, eyes crinkling handsomely, and Jinyoung nearly chokes on his noodles.

 

“He’s literally on the other side of the canteen, hyung.” Jimin pats Jinyoung on the back.

 

“No, he’s right in front of my face.” Jinyoung says through gritted teeth, smiling back weakly at Im Jaebum who was talking to Marco animatedly. Talking about him, probably.

 

A gaggle of med students sit down at their table, firing off questions a mile a minute, and Jinyoung tears his eyes from Im Jaebum’s smirking face to focus on them. Jimin eyes Jinyoung's unopened pack of cheese sticks sadly, and Jinyoung rolls his eyes before handing them to him and taking out his trusty notebook, the med students surrounding him ready to ask questions.

 

When Jinyoung looks up again, Im Jaebum is already gone.

 

\-----

 

To make matters worse, Im Jaebum starts visiting Yugyeom almost daily-great news for Yugyeom and not-so-great news for Jinyoung.

 

Jinyoung’s trying to do his job and get Bambam to take his medicine, but Im Jaebum just has to intervene by pulling a face at Yugyeom, distracting Bambam momentarily so that Jinyoung gets to shove the spoon into Bambam’s mouth swiftly.

 

“Ewww!” Bambam whines and Jinyoung hands him a cup of water, raising an eyebrow at Im Jaebum, who was now tickling Yugyeom to get him to eat his brussel sprouts. Im Jaebum catches his eyes and grins devilishly at him, and Jinyoung feels his heart leap into his mouth.

 

“Hey, stop judging my unorthodox parenting techniques,” Im Jaebum quips, and Jinyoung can’t help but sputter,”You aren’t even a parent!”

 

Bambam and Yugyeom both laugh, and Jinyoung suddenly misses quiet, sweet, _normal_ Youngjae down at the physiotherapy department. Im Jaebum ruffles Yugyeom’s hair fondly,”I’m practically a dad to this little monster.”

 

Yugyeom squirms under Im Jaebum’s hand, reaching up to touch the older man’s head,”Yeah, see?” Jinyoung and Bambam both peer closely as Yugyeom combs through Im Jaebum’s hair,”Hyung’s going bald already!”

 

“Oh my god, you really are a dad!” Jinyoung bursts out in giggles as Im Jaebum swats Yugyeom’s hands away, scowling. “Is that why you always wear that ugly scrub? To cover your head?” Jinyoung gasps through giggles, the two children staring at him with wide eyes, not used to seeing Jinyoung lose his composure like this.

 

Im Jaebum launches into a dramatic monologue about how his baby brother doesn’t love him any more, even going as far as sniffling into Yugyeom’s favourite plushie, and Yugyeom hurries to comfort his brother and save his plushie while Bambam and Jinyoung laugh. Jinyoung exits the room with his cheeks aching from laughter and Jimin winks at him suggestively once he gets to the nurse’s station.

 

“When did you get so chummy with Jaebum hyung, huh? I thought you hated him.” Jimin says, and Jinyoung smacks him on the arm lightly,”Shut up.”  

 

“Can’t believe Jaebum, of all people, replaced me as your best friend.” Jimin wipes a fake tear from his eye, and Jinyoung sighs. Why was everyone in this hospital so damn dramatic?

 

“We’re not friends.” Jinyoung says after taking a long sip of coffee. “Sure you aren’t.” Jimin says before leaving, and Jinyoung smiles before frowning. Were they really friends like Jimin thought? Jinyoung shakes his head to clear his messy thoughts before getting back to his paperwork, thoughts still plagued by Im Jaebum.

 

\----

 

Even when Im Jaebum isn’t there in person, Jinyoung is still reminded repeatedly of his presence, lingering in the ward like a very annoying ghost.

 

Bambam tells him a joke about a cow that makes no sense one day, and Jinyoung doesn’t really get it but laughs along with Youngjae, who goes nuts about the joke.

 

“Jaebummie hyung told me that joke.” Bambam puffs out his chest, smiling proudly and Jinyoung’s smiles dims a little.

 

_Jaebummie hyung, huh?_

 

Jinyoung pats Bambam’s head, and tells him to go to sleep nevertheless, switching off the lights as he leaves and closing the door behind him.

 

“I can’t believe Bambam was fraternizing with the enemy,” Jinyoung complains once he’s back at the nurse’s station.

 

Jimin spins around in his swivel chair,”What did he do today?”

 

Jinyoung recounts what happened in the room, while Jimin spins around thoughtfully, nodding once in a while. “The joke wasn’t even that funny!” Jinyoung finishes indignantly, and Jimin nods half-heartedly.

 

“It took me three months to get Bambam to call me Jinyoungie hyung, and Im Jaebum did it in like what? Three days? He doesn't even know Bambam's name!” Jinyoung rants. “Doesn’t he have a fucking job? Why is he always in my face-” Jinyoung stops talking upon realizing that Jimin was only paying attention to his phone.

 

“Are you even listening?” Jinyoung pokes Jimin in the knee and Jimin finally puts his phone away, smiling sheepishly,”Sorry. What was the joke again?”

 

“What do you get from a pampered cow?” Jinyoung asks, and Jimin shakes his head. “Spoilt milk.” Jinyoung finishes his own joke, burying his face into his hands, “It’s terrible.”

 

“Lighten up, hyung.” Jimin chortles with laughter as he fishes out his phone from his pocket again. “This is so funny, I’ve got to tell Yoongi.”

 

“Yoongi? The pharmacist?” Jinyoung peers at Jimin’s phone, interest suddenly piqued,”Didn’t know you two were so friendly.” Jimin blushes, and Jinyoung grins,”Stop texting your boyfriend on a shift, we’re professionals.”

 

“We’re not dating, we’re colleagues,” Jimin sticks his tongue out at Jinyoung,”Stop complaining about _your_ boyfriend on a shift, we’re professionals”

 

Jimin flounces outside with a giggle, and Jackson returns 5 minutes later, only to find Jinyoung googling ‘worst dad jokes’ with flaming cheeks.

 

Jinyoung decides that he hates Jimin as much as (if not more than) he hates Im Jaebum.

 

\----

 

The day of Yugyeom’s appendicitis surgery finally comes, and Jinyoung sends Yugyeom outside the ward. Im Jaebum was in the middle of a surgery, so he couldn’t check on Yugyeom, who was currently clinging to Jinyoung like a baby koala.

 

“Yugyeom, you’ve got to let go of me now.” Jinyoung tries to resonate with Yugyeom. “Hyung still has work to do, remember?” Yugyeom only clings tighter and Jinyoung screams for help with his eyes, trying to pry Yugyeom's surprisingly strong hands off him as gently as he can.

 

Thankfully, Jimin hurries over to console Yugyeom. “It’s okay, Yugyeom.” Jimin smiles at Yugyeom, and Jinyoung feels the boy relax. “My boyfriend, Yoongi had an appendicitis surgery before, and he turned out perfectly fine, so don’t worry!”

 

_Boyfriend?????_

 

Jinyoung raises his eyebrows at Jimin, who mouths _shut up_ above Yugyeom’s head. Jinyoung rolls his eyes at Jimin before squeezing Yugyeom’s hands,”Youngjae and Bambam told you to be brave like Gook, right?”

 

Yugyeom sniffles,”His name is Goku.”

 

“Really? I thought it was Cookie at first.” Jinyoung says, and Yugyeom giggles. “Be brave for hyung, okay?” Jinyoung gives Yugyeom one last hug and Yugyeom disappears into the lift, just like his brother did that night.

 

Jimin and Jinyoung head back inside the ward, the younger man never forgetting to make fun of Jinyoung,”I can’t believe you called Goku Gook.”  

 

“ _We’re not dating, we’re colleagues._ ” Jinyoung mimics Jimin’s high-pitched voice, “When did that happen?”

 

Jimin’s face is so red it looks like it could drip blood at any moment,”Shut up.”

 

Jinyoung lifts one imploring eyebrow and Jimin gives in. “Last week,” Jimin mumbles, smiling like the lovesick fool he is.

 

“Ahh, couples are so gross.” Jinyoung complains, only half-joking.

 

“Say that to me when you get with Jaebum hyung.” Jimin wriggles his eyebrows before leaving to take another ‘toilet break’ (read: texting session with Yoongi), but Jinyoung only sighs.  

 

Couples and/or Im Jaebum were the worst.

 

\----

 

Im Jaebum drops by again that afternoon, checking on Yugyeom who had just finished his surgery. Im Jaebum looks tired, but a bright smile lights up his face once he sees Yugyeom, and he hurries into the room to wrap Yugyeom in a tight hug.

 

Jinyoung does a procedural check-up with Yugyeom, who seems a lot better after the surgery, and observes how Im Jaebum communicates with the kids. Im Jaebum is boisterous and open with Bambam, but gentle and warm to Youngjae. Bambam clearly adores Im Jaebum, chattering on and on about nothing in particular while Jinyoung checks the bandages covering Yugyeom’s incision behind the curtains.

 

Once Jinyoung is finished, Yugyeom pulls open the curtains quickly to see Im Jaebum playing a game of gonggi with Bambam and Youngjae.

 

Yugyeom (and Jinyoung too, secretly) watches in wonder as Im Jaebum throws the tiny stones in the air and catches them skillfully. Youngjae crows excitedly and begs Im Jaebum to teach him, the elder man obliging with a smile.

 

Pulling aside the curtains, Jinyoung secretly admires the look of concentration on Im Jaebum’s face as he tosses the five little stones in the air and catches them with the back of his hand expertly.

 

“Your hyung is so cool!” Bambam exclaims as Im Jaebum teaches Youngjae how to catch the pesky little stones without fail. Yugyeom nods with a proud smile on his face, and Jinyoung feels mildly jealous of how the kids look up to Im Jaebum.

 

“You can’t throw the stones too high or it’ll be hard to catch them.” Im Jaebum explains patiently to Youngjae, who barely manages to catch one stone. Im Jaebum catches Jinyoung staring and Jinyoung averts his gaze quickly, embarrassed to be caught.

 

“You can play too.” Im Jaebum smiles, eyes crinkling, and Jinyoung feels his face heat up.

 

“Sure, golden hand.” Jinyoung tries to say as nonchalantly as he can, trying to keep his cool before dropping all the stones on his first try. The kids, nasty little traitors, all of them, laugh at Jinyoung, but Im Jaebum picks up the stones patiently and teaches Jinyoung all over again.

 

Jinyoung exits the room after finally mastering gonggi, a weird feeling in his chest- partly warm, partly nervous.

 

Just like spring.

 

\-----

 

Yugyeom just has to stay in the hospital for a few more days before he can be discharged, but Im Jaebum keeps visiting regularly.

 

“Why do you keep calling him by his full name, you’re friends!” Jimin says when Jinyoung complains. “We’re not friends!” Jinyoung insists stubbornly, and Jimin raises one judgemental eyebrow at him before walking off quickly for some reason.

 

Jinyoung stands in place, bewildered before Im Jaebum comes into sight. Im Jaebum isn’t wearing his ugly uniform for once, and he’s dressed casually in a black bomber jacket and black jeans.

 

“Uh.” Jaebum says after a while, and Jinyoung tears his eyes from Im Jaebum’s black hoop earrings to look at him,”Yes?”

 

“Do you have the check-in form? Usually Jimin fills it in for me but he’s not here today.” Im Jaebum explains, and realisation dawns on Jinyoung as he figures out what Jimin had done.

 

 _Park Jimin is a dead man_ , Jinyoung mutters under his breath.

 

“Sorry, what?” Im Jaebum asks, and Jinyoung scrambles for the form,”Nothing, here.”

 

“Thanks,” Im Jaebum hands back the completed form right after Jinyoung downs half a cup of his coffee. Jinyoung hurriedly wipes his mouth and takes the form,”No problem, you’re good to go!”

 

Im Jaebum leaves and Jinyoung begins his evening rounds, stopping in every room to check on the kids. He’s greeted by loud laughter when he reaches Bambam, Youngjae and Yugyeom’s room, and he enters to see Bambam teaching the others that weird arm movement- Danting?? Dipping??? Jinyoung couldn't be assed to look it up, honestly. 

 

Yugyeom learns fast, quickly becoming a professional while Jinyoung checks on Youngjae and chats to Youngjae’s mother before she leaves. Jinyoung moves on to Bambam, but when he reaches out to take Bambam’s blood pressure, the boy moves away, burying his head into the crook of his arm and lifting the other arm straight.

 

Jinyoung takes a long sip from his coffee cup and waits for Bambam to finish his act.

 

 _Just 2 more hours_ , he thinks to himself.

 

“You should stop drinking so much coffee,” Im Jaebum looks over from Yugyeom’s bed,” It’s bad for your health.”

 

“Nah.” Jinyoung straps the band around Bambam’s bony arm,”Can’t live without it.”

 

Im Jaebum raises his eyebrows and opens his mouth to speak before he’s interrupted by Yugyeom,”Hyung, can you dab?” “Of course I can.” Im Jaebum says, and does the strange arm movement awkwardly, long arms waving around.

 

Jinyoung cracks a smile despite himself, ”That’s terrible.”

 

Im Jaebum grins, his eyes twinkling with mischief, “I’d like to see you try.”

 

Jinyoung suddenly finds himself transfixed by the way Im Jaebum’s grin is possibly the most captivating thing in the whole universe, his eyes crinkling and lips relaxing into an easy grin.

 

Jinyoung’s mind is suddenly wiped blank, and the only thing he remembers, oddly, are those terrible dad jokes he googled the other day, so he blurts,”What time did the man go to the dentist?”

 

Jinyoung regrets the words once they stumble out of his mouth, but there’s no time to dwell upon his awkwardness because Im Jaebum is frowning quizzically at him,”I don’t know. What is it?”

 

“Tooth-hurty.” Jinyoung grits, thoroughly embarrassed. Youngjae, Yugyeom, Im Jaebum and Bambam burst into laughter, and Jinyoung does the shortest check-up ever to Yugyeom before saying goodnight to everyone.

 

“Good night, Jinyoungie-hyung!” The kids chorus as they settle down. Im Jaebum stands up and gets ready to leave after Jinyoung as he turns off the lights, and Jinyoung hears him say,”Good night, Jinyoungie.”

 

Jinyoung has never been so grateful for the dim lights in the corridor as he murmurs “Good night.” hastily and races back to the nurse's station, blushing like a ripened tomato.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi new chapter alert! sorry for not updating last week but i'll try to get back to my normal updating schedule now! im also going to add snipets as the chapter summary in the future so you guys know what's going to happen (or not)  
> thanks for all the kudos, bookmarks and lovely comments aaaa pls do let me know your thoughts and what you think stubborn jinyoung will do with his (not) crush haha  
> 20171015


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Im Jaebum has sent you a friend request**
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> Jinyoung nearly falls out of his chair, and Jimin snatches his phone before he can react.
> 
>  
> 
> “Added!” Jimin declares triumphantly, waving Jinyoung's phone in the air. Jinyoung hides his face in his hands for what seems like the millionth time of the day,”How did he even know I had a Facebook? I literally just opened an account? Is he stalking me?”

“I was queuing up at the bus stop and I see Youngjae’s mum, right?” Jinyoung says as Jackson listens, the latter taking a few peaches from fruit basket in the doctor’s lounge.

 

“And she asks how things are going with my boyfriend and I’m like ‘What??’ because I don’t have one, then she said, and I quote,” Jinyoung takes a deep breath, not caring who heard their conversation, since the lounge was empty except for a few med students in the corner.

 

“‘What about the cute one with the black earrings?’ and I almost died on the spot.” Jinyoung exclaims.

 

“Who’s that?” Jackson replies, weighting the peaches in his hand.

 

“Im Jaebum.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“Can you just pick one already? Jimin’s waiting for us.” Jinyoung huffs, impatient.

 

Jackson finally selects a peach, tossing it between his hands,”So she thought Jaebum hyung was your boyfriend?”

 

“Yep.”

 

“That’s actually believable to be honest, you’re always complaining about him all-”

 

“First of all, no, and shut up.”Jinyoung shushes Jackson quickly as he sees Jin by the door, waving him over.

 

“Hey,” Jin looks frazzled as Jinyoung and Jackson reach him, holding out a tiny tray full of tiny paper slips,”Can you guys pick one please? It’s for the secret santa scheme for the paediatric and operation departments.”

 

“It’s October though?” Jackson asks, and Jin glares at him. “Okay okay I’ll pick.” Jackson backs down quickly, reaching for a paper slip. Jinyoung follows suit, opening the paper slip only to find the paper slip to be empty.

 

“What does this mean?” Jinyoung holds out the empty paper slip. Jin looks panicked for a second, but his tone is calm when he explains,”That’s great! You don’t need to be a secret santa, you just have to wait for gifts from your secret santa.”

 

“How is that fair?” Jackson whines, but Jinyoung just shrugs and waves goodbye to Jin, the tiny paper slip in his pocket.

 

By the time they reach the canteen to meet a very disgruntled Jimin, Jinyoung has completely forgotten about the so-called secret santa scheme.

 

\-----

 

Yugyeom gets discharged the next day, and Jinyoung signs the discharge form gladly, happy to see Yugyeom healthy again. The two other kids in the room cling to Yugyeom, asking whether he’s going to come back and visit.

 

“Of course I’m going to visit!” Yugyeom giggles. “My hyung works here, remember!”

 

“Yeah, we won’t miss you at all, we’ll just miss Jaebum hyung!” Bambam sticks his tongue out at Yugyeom before dissolving into giggles, Youngjae laughing at his friend’s silliness.

 

Outside the room, Jinyoung signs Yugyeom’s discharge form swiftly and hands it to Im Jaebum, who’s come to pick Yugyeom up.

 

“Thanks for looking after Yugyeom,” Im Jaebum says, taking the discharge form and signing it as well.

 

“No problem.” Jinyoung smiles at the kids inside the room, now exchanging social media IDs. “Yugyeom’s such a cute kid, I loved looking after him.”

 

The corners of Im Jaebum’s lips curl up into a tiny smile, fleeting but handsome,”The kid’s a little monster, he’s so energetic I have trouble keeping up sometimes.”

 

“Or maybe you’re just old.” Jinyoung laughs, imagining Im Jaebum running after Yugyeom, out of breath.

 

“Respect your elders, Park Jinyoung.” Im Jaebum scowls at him without menace, scrunching his nose cutely.

 

Wait, cute?

 

 _I need to go to bed_ , Jinyoung thinks as Yugyeom finally comes out of the room. Yugyeom wraps his arms around Jinyoung’s midriff and Jinyoung hugs him back, patting his head softly.

 

“Hyung and I will miss you, Jinyoungie hyung,” Yugyeom mumbles into Jinyoung’s chest, and Jinyoung ruffles his hair,“I’ll miss you too, Yugyeom.”

 

“And hyung too?”

 

“Of course.”

 

Jinyoung lets go of Yugyeom and straightens as Im Jaebum hauls Yugyeom’s overnight bag over his shoulder, looking at Jinyoung with a look in his eyes that Jinyoung can’t decipher.

 

Uncertainty, perhaps?

 

“See you around, I guess.” Im Jaebum finally looks away, ushering Yugyeom towards the exit.

 

“Yeah, see you around.” Jinyoung replies, and he can’t help but feel strangely empty as he watches the two leave.

 

 _One of these days, Im Jaebum was going to drive him crazy_ , Jinyoung concludes.

 

\-----

 

“Hey, do you guys wanna come to Jin’s birthday party in December? Yoongi’s holding one for him.” Jimin chimes when Jinyoung heads to his usual seat at their lunch table, sandwich in hand.

 

“Yoongi? Holding a birthday party?” Jackson wrinkles his nose across the table,”Are we talking about the same grumpy littl-” “Oh shut up,” Jimin throws a stray protein bar wrapper at him.”He’s not that grumpy.”

 

Both Jackson and Jinyoung side-eye Jimin, and he finally throws his hands in the air,”Fine, I haven’t asked him yet, but we’re holding it together!”

 

“So are you two coming or not?” Jimin puffs out his cheeks, eyes curving cutely, and Jinyoung finds himself unable to resist.

 

“Sure, if nothing comes up.” Jinyoung says, unwrapping his sandwich.

 

“Same here, I’ll see if I can get Jaebum to go too.” Jackson says, and Jinyoung freezes mid-bite.

 

“Why him? I mean I’m just asking, but why him? Out of all people-?” Jinyoung stutters, not caring if his mouth is hanging open and showing the tattered remains of his sandwich.

 

His friends laugh at Jinyoung’s flustered reaction, and he hurries to cover his mouth,”What?”

 

“You blush every time Jaebum is mentioned. That’s cute.” Jackson winks at Jinyoung, who mimes vomiting.

 

“I don’t like him in that way!” Jinyoung pulls a face at Jackson, who's cackling loudly and getting a few weird looks.

 

“Who said anything about you liking him?” Jackson laughs, and Jinyoung lunges across the table to hit him when Jimin suddenly pipes up.

 

“Hey, Jaebum-hy-” Jimin says, and Jinyoung returns to his seat, wiping his face furiously.

 

_Why, oh why did he show up at the most unfortunate times?_

 

“-ung’s friend Mark all the way across the canteen!” Jimin smiles gleefully, chuckling at the incredulous expression on Jinyoung’s face.

 

“Seriously, are you two five?” Jinyoung grumbles, back to devouring his sandwich.

 

“Combined?” Jackson asks as Jimin says,”You should add Jaebum-hyung on Facebook.”

 

“That wasn't what I meant, Jackson, but yes. And what?” Jinyoung finishes off his sandwich.

 

“You should add Jaebum-hyung on Facebook,” Jimin repeats, and Jinyoung frowns,”I don’t even have Facebook.”

 

Jackson gasps dramatically and stage whispers to Jimin,”He doesn’t have _Facebook_?”

 

“Stop doing that, it got old after the first time.” Jinyoung merely rolls his eyes at Jackson’s theatrics, having seen the same scene hundreds of times before.

 

“You really should, though. Make some friends apart from us, stop moping around lamenting about your non-existent love lif-” “Excuse you, I do have other friends.” Jinyoung pouts indignantly, glaring at Jackson.

 

While Jinyoung’s focused on murdering Jackson by the sheer force of willpower, Jimin reaches over and grabs his phone. Jinyoung doesn’t even bother getting his phone back, thinking that his fingerprint scanner will prevent his bratty friends from hacking into his phone. Jimin gets past the lockscreen by a simple press of his thumb and Jinyoung raises his eyebrows,”How-?”

 

“You were asleep.” Jimin says, eyes trained on Jinyoung’s phone’s screen, fingers tapping away madly, Jinyoung nods slowly, dreading his friends’ shenanigans. Last time Jimin and Jackson got into his phone, he had ended up with 3 new dating apps and countless texts from strange men, Jinyoung recounts sadly.

 

Jimin hands Jinyoung his phone back to show him his new facebook profile- and Jinyoung has to admit, it’s not that bad. His profile is simple, only stating his name, where he works and his hobbies. (Nothing weird, thankfully- just reading and listening to music.)

 

Jinyoung’s icon is just a picture of him from the cover of the Physician's Weekly when he was featured last year, but his cover photo is an ugly selfie of Jackson and Jimin.

 

“What’s that?” Jinyoung asks, zooming in on Jackson’s impressive double chin and Jimin’s crossed eyes. Jimin grins,”We took that on your phone two weeks ago.”

 

“How do you change your cover photo?” Jinyoung asks, ignoring his friends’ groans of ‘lighten up, hyung!’

 

He’s scrolling through his gallery to find a normal picture to use when he gets a notification:

 

**Im Jaebum has sent you a friend request**

 

Jinyoung nearly falls out of his chair, and Jimin snatches his phone before he can react.

 

“Added!” Jimin declares triumphantly, waving Jinyoung's phone in the air. Jinyoung hides his face in his hands for what seems like the millionth time of the day,”How did he even know I had a Facebook? I literally just opened an account? Is he stalking me?”

 

“You wish, Lover Boy. I recommended you two to be friends.” Jackson smirks, pleased with himself.

 

“I don’t even want to know what that means.” Jinyoung groans.

 

“Grandpa Jinyoung is tired after ten minutes of navigating the very, very confusing world of 21st century technology.” Jimin narrates, expression deadpan, and Jinyoung resists the urge to hit him across the table.

 

Jinyoung has to remind himself that he is a calm, successful doctor with emotional control before he can stand up.

 

“I’m leaving now, Dr. Son told me to see her for some reason.” Jinyoung tidies the table, putting their trash on a tray but only getting dismissive nods from his ungrateful friends.

 

“Bye hyung.” “Don’t miss us too much.”

 

“Yeah, yeah.” Jinyoung smiles a little before putting away the tray, and disposing the trash in a nearby bin.

 

He loved his friends, but sometimes he just needed a break from their antics.

 

(The break he wants comes later when Dr Son tells him that he’s been recommended to represent the hospital to go to an exchange trip to Switzerland. The trip would last for two weeks, starting next month, and although the list wasn’t definite yet, it was probably going to be Jinyoung anyway as they just needed one more participant.

 

Jinyoung leaves Dr Son’s office with a light heart, his mood surprisingly not dampened when he runs into Im Jaebum’s friend-Mark/Marcus- and the man gives him a once-over, and he even hums as he sends a quick text to his dad to ask if he has any snow boots.

 

The odds were finally in his favour, it seemed.)  

\-----

 

“Oh.” Jimin seems a bit disappointed when Jinyoung tells him that he can’t go to Jin’s birthday party. “Doesn’t your trip end on the 30th of November? The party’s on the 4th.”

 

“Yeah, but there’s a post-trip sharing session that afternoon, and I don’t think I’ll have any money left for a cab ride after two weeks in Switzerland.” Jinyoung grins.

 

Jimin frowns, and Jinyoung is quick to give him a quick hug.

 

“Don’t worry, I’ll bring him a gift earlier.” Jinyoung smiles. “And I’m sure you’ll do a great job hosting the party with Yoongi too. Jin’s going to love it!”

 

“Have fun in Switzerland, hyung. We’ll miss you lots.” Jimin pats Jinyoung’s cold hands with his warm ones, and the smile on Jinyoung’s face doesn’t disappear until Yoongi pulls up to pick Jimin up, leaving Jinyoung to wait for the bus alone.

 

Jinyoung briefly wonders when it will be his turn, to be cared for by someone who loves him so much. It's not like Jinyoung doesn’t have any admirers, but they were all too pliant, too promiscuous, or too boring.

 

It was as if everyone had something that didn’t fit with Jinyoung, and he hated himself for being so picky and unlovable.

 

Jinyoung shakes his head, trying to clear his messy, messy thoughts and tries not to scream with frustration when the bus pulls up late and splashes muddy water all over his brand new shoes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i don't really know what to say but new chapter!! this chapter is kinda lackluster but don't worry the next chapters will be more exciting i hope!! thanks for all the kudos comments and subscriptions i'm terrible but thank you so much :0000  
> 20171021


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jinyoung’s desk is exactly how he left it as, except for one thing-
> 
>  
> 
> Jinyoung’s eyes widen in surprise as he finds a pack of lavender tea bags on his table. He picks the pack up and sniffs it experimentally, indulging in the relaxing floral scent. A note attached to the tea falls onto his desk, and Jinyoung picks it up curiously.
> 
>  
> 
> “Cheer up!
> 
>  
> 
> -Your secret santa”

Depressingly, Jinyoung’s good luck runs out as fast as it comes.

 

The next day, he’s called up to Dr. Son’s office again, and he goes happily, ready to confirm the tour arrangements, only to find out that he was replaced by a last-minute priority candidate. Dr Son seems apologetic for both Jinyoung being replaced and getting his hopes up, so Jinyoung puts on the brightest smile he can muster and tells her not to worry, he’s completely fine with this, even though he feels dead inside.

 

He manages to hold back his tears until he gets back to the wards and Jimin asks him about the tour. Jinyoung tells Jimin what happened, and when Jimin gives his shaking body and tight hug he just smiles and tells his friend good thing he can go to Jin-hyung’s party now.

 

Jackson is quick to assure him that the priority candidate is probably some old bat with 5 years left to live, and Jinyoung gives him a watery smile, telling his friend over and over that _he’s okay, he will be okay, don’t worry_.

 

The tears finally fall when Jinyoung gets a text from his father, asking if he still needs the snowboots. Jinyoung’s heart aches when he thinks of his father, well into his sixties, yet willing to come all the way from Busan to Seoul just for him. He cries himself to sleep after telling his father what happened and getting a text from his father telling him that he loves him anyway.

 

 _He doesn’t deserve any of this_ , Jinyoung thinks as he dozes off.

 

\-----

 

Jinyoung gets over the Switzerland thing pretty quickly.

 

He’s used to being let down anyway, Jinyoung thinks bitterly as he hurries around the wards doing his duties as usual.

 

Hours blend into days, days blend into weeks and everything seems bland and meaningless to Jinyoung. To Jinyoung’s relief (or distress, as Jimin would say), Im Jaebum stops showing up, and Jinyoung doesn’t even think of the man until a few weeks later, around the time when he was supposed to go to Switzerland.

 

Jinyoung’s at Jimin’s place with Yoongi and Namjoon, preparing for Jin-hyung’s surprise party. He’s been spending more and more time with Jin’s friends recently, using Jin’s birthday preparations to keep himself busy and to distract him from thinking about the ongoing Switzerland tour.

 

They’re sitting in Jimin’s living room, looking up party decorations when Jimin suddenly suggests getting a chocolate fountain.

 

Yoongi, a fool for both his boyfriend and sweet food, agrees immediately, but Namjoon and Jinyoung are a little skeptical.

 

“Aren’t chocolate fountains messy to set up and clean up afterwards?” Namjoon asks.

 

“Yeah, and they’re quite pricey, I think,” Jinyoung adds. “I can ask my aunt for advice, she’s a caterer…”

 

Jinyoung trails off, suddenly remembering that he promised to add his aunt on Facebook weeks ago and completely forgot about it.

 

“What?” Jimin asks, and Jinyoung explains quickly before taking out his phone and opening the long-discarded Facebook app.

 

Once Jinyoung opens the app, he’s greeted by a very familiar face,  with the location tagged in… Switzerland. Im Jaebum's standing in a row with a mix of both familiar faces he's seen in the hospital and some unfamiliar, foreign, beautiful faces, all of them with their arms around each other's shouders. Im Jaebum's beaming widely, showing his obnoxiously white teeth,  his arm wrapped around a pretty blonde girl, and Jinyoung suddenly finds it hard to swallow. 

 

“Im Jaebum went to Switzerland? In my place?” Jinyoung splutters, unable to believe his eyes.

 

Yoongi and Namjoon exchange a look, while Jimin nods, eyes shifting between the two of them.

 

“You knew?” Jinyoung’s voice nearly cracks, and he struggles to blink back tears, the carefully concealed emotions in him overflowing all at once like a broken dam.

 

“Sorry I didn’t tell you, I found out from Jin-hyung a few days ago, but I thought it would make you upset.” Jimin looks guilty, which makes Jinyoung feel even worse about himself.

 

“I-I need a moment alone. I'll go him first ” Jinyoung stands up quickly, not wanting to cry in front of his concerned friends.  

 

“I’ll go with you.” Jimin says the same time as Yoongi says,”I’ll drive you back.”

 

The lovebirds hold a silent conversation with their eyes, and Jinyoung can’t help but smile a little despite himself.

 

“It’s fine, guys. I’ll text you when I get home.” Jinyoung toes on his sneakers and practically runs out of the apartment, hopping on a taxi and not stopping until he gets back home, heart shattered and tired.

 

\-----

 

Jinyoung feels a bit down the whole week, angry at Im Jaebum and himself for being so jealous and petty. _Grow up, Jinyoung_ , he tells himself, but that sad feeling still nags at him.

 

Even the kids see that Jinyoung’s not his usual self. During one of his shifts, Bambam grabs his hand when he’s about to leave.

 

“What, Bam?” Jinyoung asks. His head has been throbbing like crazy the past week, and he can’t wait to go home and lie on his bed trying to sleep with no avail.

 

“Hyung, are you sad?” Bambam tugs on his hand gently, and Jinyoung feels his eyes water for the millionth time of the week.

 

 _Don’t cry, Jinyoung_ , he thinks sternly to himself, and blinks hard. Twice.

 

“I am a little sad, Bambam.” Jinyoung sighs, squeezing Bambam’s small hand.

 

Bambam nods solemnly, little eyes trained on Jinyoung’s pale face. Jinyoung has never felt so cold and so alone in his ward, a warm place hustling with loud voices and noises.

 

“I’m sad too, I miss Yugyeom.” Bambam says, and Jinyoung pulls him in a hug.

 

“I’m sure he misses you too.” Bambam’s body is impossibly thin, and Jinyoung wraps his arms even tighter around him, patting Bambam’s soft hair.

 

“Wanna hear a joke?” Bambam says as Jinyoung finally lets go. Jinyoung nods, and Bambam smiles,”What do you call a factory that sells passable products? A satis _factory!_ ”

 

The joke is terrible, and Jinyoung can’t help but laugh,”Do you even understand the joke, Bammie?”

 

Bambam shakes his head, and Jinyoung is ready to tease Bambam like the terrible adult he is when Bambam says,”Jaebum-hyung told it to me!”

 

Jinyoung’s heart physically aches at the mention of Im Jaebum, and he hurriedly bids Bambam goodnight before leaving.

 

Jinyoung sighs against the closed door to Bambam’s room. When was Im Jaebum going to leave him alone?

 

Jinyoung wills himself to keep the tears down as he trudges sluggishly back to the nurses’ station, ready to catch a nap on his cold, hard desk.

 

Jinyoung’s desk is exactly how he left it as, except for one thing-

 

Jinyoung’s eyes widen in surprise as he finds a pack of lavender tea bags on his table. He picks the pack up and sniffs it experimentally, indulging in the relaxing floral scent. A note attached to the tea falls onto his desk, and Jinyoung picks it up curiously.

 

“Cheer up!

 

-Your secret santa”

 

The note says in an unfamiliar scrawl, and Jinyoung finds himself smiling genuinely for the first time in days.

 

_Thank you, whoever you are._

 

\-----

 

Jinyoung savours the lavender teabags, still feeling warm after half the teabags are gone. If his friends had noted him abandoning his beloved coffee in favour of the tea, they didn’t comment on it, and Jinyoung felt not only more awake, but also refreshed every time he drank out of his cup.

 

To Jinyoung’s surprise, the gifts from his secret santa don’t stop coming. In just three weeks, he had gotten heat packs, hot chocolate powder, a bird-shaped coaster, and the prettiest hand-crafted silver bookmark. The gifts don't always come with messages, but there’s always a tiny note with the same messy scrawl attached.

 

“From your secret santa.”

 

It’s equally cliche and endearing, but the tiny notes never fail to make Jinyoung smile. Jinyoung thinks as squints closely at the newest note, scribbled messily on a scrap of brown paper.

 

The notes before looked similar, so the person -whoever he or she is- had probably written a bunch of them beforehand. Not a surprise, since the person most likely worked long hours at the hospital.

 

“Another gift?” Jimin asks, and Jinyoung puts the note away in his drawer along with the other notes, nodding shyly. Jimin picks up his new bookmark to inspect it, and Jinyoung fights off the urge to snatch it out of his stubby little hands.

 

The bookmark was so finely made that Jinyoung didn’t even dare to hold it with just one hand, but now the same bookmark was dangling loosely on Jimin’s pinky, dangling around.

 

“If you drop that…” Jinyoung can’t resist adding when the bookmark sways precariously, hanging on a thin ribbon. Jimin, the little devil, flings the bookmark, one, two, _three_ times, and Jinyoung yelps, lunging forward to retrieve the delicate bookmark.

 

“Secret Santa strikes again?” Jimin cackles as Jinyoung cradles the bookmark gently in both hands. Jinyoung nods without looking up, eyes scrutinizing every corner of the bookmark.

 

“That looks expensive, get me a sugar dad-secret santa like that.”

 

“I’m sure Yoongi will be happy to oblige.” Jinyoung slips the bookmark carefully into his notebook, putting it away. “And how do you know it’s a he anyway?”

 

Jimin’s face changes for a moment, eyes shifting awkwardly and ears reddening sheepishly, but the look goes away as fast as it comes. When Jinyoung blinks, the odd look is completely gone.

 

 _Weird._  

 

“Calm down, Sherlock, I was just guessing.” Jimin whisks away to distribute medicine in the ward, and Jinyoung grabs one of his new heat packs, rubbing his cold hands vigorously as he gets ready for his duties.

 

\-----

 

“Jinyoungie hyung, your hands are so warm today!” Youngjae exclaims when Jinyoung pats his chubby cheeks. Jinyoung pulls the heat pack out of his pocket and puts it on Youngjae’s tiny hands, and Youngjae sighs from the warmth.

 

“Where did you get these packs, hyung? They’re so warm?” Youngjae gushes, splaying his stubby fingers flat on the pack. Jinyoung smiles and opens his mouth to reply, but Jimin, who’s getting Bambam to take his pills, butts in.

 

“Jinyoung-hyung here got it from a-” Jimin pauses for dramatic effect. “Very special person.”

 

Bambam and Youngjae understand what Jimin means immediately, and knowing looks dawn on their faces as they grin mischievously at Jinyoung.

 

“Hyung, you didn’t tell us you had a girlfriend!” Bambam crows, and Jinyoung blushes against his will, hiding his face behind his coat’s large sleeves.

 

“It could be a boyfriend!” Jimin winks at the kids, who riot at his words.

 

“Is it someone we know?” Youngjae asks giddily, and Bambam nods earnestly in assent.

 

“I don’t have a boyfriend. Or a girlfriend.” Jinyoung closes the curtains and pushes Youngjae’s bed down the regular height. “I’m too busy looking after you little brats.”

 

Youngjae frowns, his cute little nose scrunched in confusion,”But my mum told me she saw you with your boyfriend the other day!”

 

Jinyoung sighs as both Jimin and Bambam turn around to look at him expectantly,”Youngjae, your mum just saw me with…”

 

 _How should he describe Im Jaebum?_ They were certainly not friends now, but colleague or acquaintance seemed too stiff and formal.

 

“Someone.” Jinyoung finally settles for the somewhat neutral word, and the kids boo him, disappointed. Jimin inclines his head gently, asking _Are you okay?_ , and Jinyoung nods sharply, gulping hard.

 

Why couldn’t Im Jaebum just leave him alone?

 

\-----

 

Jinyoung receives a cat-patterned memo pad the next day, and he finds a slightly longer note attached.

 

“Your eyes are pretty when you smile, be cheerful!

 

-Your secret santa.”

 

Jinyoung raises his eyebrows at the message, which seemed more like something an admirer would send rather than a secret santa. One would even consider such an anonymous message creepy, but Jinyoung couldn’t bring himself to be weirded out.

 

His secret santa was clearly a kind person, and his (or her) gifts and small messages never failed to brighten Jinyoung’s day- nothing to be wary of, in Jinyoung’s opinion.

 

 _But_ , Jinyoung reminds himself as he puts away the note carefully, it was always better to be safe than sorry. He shudders as he’s forcibly reminded of Jimin’s Stalker Incident last year, when a stalker had developed a creepy infatuation with Jimin and sent him socks everyday, which had resulted in Jinyoung and Jackson being with Jimin wherever he went and them resorting to calling the police when the guy started showing up at the wards.

 

The ordeal had been terrifying, and if Jinyoung was slightly more rational, he would’ve told Jin to pull him out of the scheme. But how could Jinyoung suspect someone who gave him the warmest little gifts and the notes with handwriting so clumsy it was almost endearing?

 

Jinyoung’s not-suspicion only grows when he gets lunch with his friends in the canteen, this time joined by Youngjae (not kid Youngjae from his ward, but one of Jimin’s friends in the operation department). Jimin was busily talking with Yoongi, and Jackson had gone outside to get new chopsticks after dropping them-typical.

 

Jinyoung smiles awkwardly at Youngjae, who grins back, but doesn’t say anything. _Quick, Jinyoung, think of something to say!_ Jinyoung screams at himself internally.

 

What could he say to a virtual stranger who he had no common interests with?

 

“You-” “So-” Jinyoung and Youngjae say at the same time, and Jinyoung lets Youngjae go first, smiling sheepishly. _Way to go, Jinyoung!_

 

“Er, so you’re from the paed ward, right? I’m from the operation department.” Youngjae says, and Jinyoung nods.

 

 _Paediatrics… Operation department_ …

 

“Did you join the secret santa scheme our departments are holding?” Jinyoung blurts, relieved that he’s finally found a common conversation topic. “No? I didn’t even know there was such a scheme.” Youngjae shakes his head, looking confused.

 

Jinyoung frowns. Didn’t Jin say that the scheme was for both departments?

 

Jinyoung tries again,”Do you know anyone else who’s joined the scheme?”

 

“No, but I wish I knew- it sounds fun.” Youngjae answers, still sounding bewildered.

 

“What are you two talking about, huh?” Jackson returns with chopsticks and slides back into his seat.

 

“Jinyoung was telling me about this secret santa scheme our departments are holding, but I haven’t heard anything about it before.” Youngjae replies. “Are you in the scheme, too?”

 

Jinyoung swears he saw Jackson’s face change into a mask of panic, but then Jackson’s dragging Youngjae away and Jimin shows up from nowhere, Yoongi in tow.

 

“There you are! We were just looking for you to talk about the catering in Jin’s party!” Jimin enthuses, but his left eye is ticking uncomfortably and Yoongi looks like he just swallowed something bitter.

 

Jinyoung listens half-heartedly while Jimin rambles on about ordering from a hotel,  and his weird feeling is further confirmed when a Youngjae-less Jackson shows up again after ten minutes, looking frazzled.

 

Yup, something was definitely going on.

 

(The next gift Jinyoung receives is a magnet with a terrible joke “Doctors take pains to prescribe relief.”, and Jinyoung hates himself for laughing out loud, clamping a hand over his mouth so he doesn’t wake the kids. The note attached is brief as always, but it reads ‘From your secret admirer’ instead, the word ‘santa’ crossed out with a different coloured pen- a rather pretty shade of azure blue, Jinyoung observes idly.

 

Weird, Jinyoung thinks as he puts the magnet on his whiteboard, but that’s a case for another day. )

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! i'm back with a new update! i've been feeling quite terrible lately and i don't really have a lot of time/ motivation to write so maybe i'll start posting updates every two weeks instead of every week :00 even if i don't post as often pls know that i'm constantly thinking of this fic and i won't give up on it i promise!! hope you're enjoying this fic and thank you for all the support <3333  
> 20171028


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Add in nurse Jimin!” “What about Nurse Bora?” “Wait, we missed Jaebum hyung!” The two discuss happily while Jinyoung examines Jungkook, the new kid in the third bed which used to be occupied by Yugyeom. 
> 
> It definitely wasn’t Jimin, and probably not Bora, a lesbian. Which only left… 
> 
> Jinyoung rejects the idea quickly. Im Jaebum just couldn’t be his secret admirer. Im Jaebum was a scheming liar, and Jinyoung was a fool for forgiving him in the first place. 
> 
> It had to be somebody else. Anyone but him.

December rolls by in no time, and Jinyoung finds himself getting even busier, a feat he didn’t even know was possible. He starts sleeping less, depending on his daily espressos again, and even the kids pick up on him spacing out during work. 

 

(He accidentally calls Bambam Youngjae one day, which leads to Bambam ignoring him for all but 5 minutes until Jinyoung started to fake sob.) 

 

Jinyoung never knew planning a party was such hard work, and there was so much to be taken care of- from decorations, food to invitations and even seemingly insignificant things like the dress code. By day, Jinyoung tore through his usual workload at the ward, and once he got off work, he went to Yoongi’s house with Jimin, Yoongi and Namjoon to plan for the party. 

  
  


Thankfully, preparation work went smoothly, and in no time, they had decided on decorations (metallic balloons and cream streamers), food (one of Jimin’s friends was coming in to cater), who to invite (literally half the hospital staff- damn Jin and his extensive social circle) and even the dress code (everyone had to wear a touch of pink to enter), and Jinyoung couldn’t be more thankful for his friends, who worked alongside him through rain and shine. 

 

And of course, Jinyoung had to thank his secret admirer. 

 

The little notes and gifts from Jinyoung’s ‘secret admirer’ had came even more frequently since the end of November. In just three days, Jinyoung had already gotten some foreign-looking stamps and a postcard with a picture of some succulents on it. The notes attached were longer, and seemed newly written too, judging from the fresh ink smudges. 

 

“Dress up warm, it’s chilly these days!” Jackson trills, reading off the latest note,”What a kind guy.” 

 

“Or girl.” Jinyoung says,”I still don’t know who it is.” 

 

Jackson gasps dramatically, letting the note slip from his fingers and fall onto the ground like a sad autumn leaf. “That’s stone cold.” 

 

“No it’s not,” Jinyoung replies without even looking up from his phone. Their midnight shift is almost ending, and Jinyoung itches to be reunited with his bed. 

 

“You are a cruel man, Park Jinyoung.” Jackson swings his legs onto Jinyoung’s desk, forcing Jinyoung to look at him properly. 

 

“The guy-” Jackson pauses when he sees Jinyoung open his mouth,”Girl, whatever- has been courting you for what? Two months?” 

 

Jinyoung nods, and Jackson continues,”Two months and you haven’t even bothered to guess who your secret admirer is?”

 

“Yeah, so?” 

 

Jackson facepalms, legs flopping limply in front of Jinyoung, who gingerly lifts them off his desk. 

 

“Have you not even guessed who it would be?” 

 

“Not really.” 

 

Jackson sends him an exaggerated wink,”Well, it’s high time you did.” 

 

“It’s not you, is it?” Jinyoung pulls a face.  _ God, if it was Jackson sending him those compliments the whole time…  _

 

“Ew!” Jackson makes a weird noise, edging towards the door, and Jinyoung is instantly relieved. 

 

“First of all, I have standards,” Jackson continues, and Jinyoung reaches out to smack him lazily. 

 

Jackson dodges his attack expertly and leans against the door,“You really should find out who it is, by the way.” 

 

“Sources tell me he’s handsome. Not as handsome as me, but handsome.” Jackson says as a parting remark, the hazy 5am moonlight spilling from a window illuminating his face like he’s some kind of archangel sent to ruin Jinyoung’s life. 

 

Jinyoung groans. How was he supposed to find his secret admirer with such ‘helpful’ clues’?

 

At least it was a he though, Jinyoung reassures himself. 

 

_ That was a start. _

 

\-----

 

The next day, Jimin, the little brat, enlists the kids to help Jinyoung to find his secret admirer. 

 

“Jinyoungie hyung has a secret admirer!” Jimin announces during breakfast, and Bambam and Youngjae snap to attention immediately. 

 

“Who is it?” Bambam asks, grinning cheekily, and Jinyoung feels like he’s caught in an elaborate scheme where everyone knows what’s going on except him. 

 

“I don’t know,” Jinyoung answers honestly, checking Youngjae’s leg reflexes with a reflex hammer. 

 

“You know what you guys should do?” Jimin’s mischievous smirk sends shivers down Jinyoung’s spine. “Find out who it is.” 

 

“That sounds fun!” Youngjae shouts, and Bambam quickly agrees, pulling out a page from his colouring book (Rip Thomas the Tank Engine) to write down their suspects. 

 

“Add in nurse Jimin!” “What about Nurse Bora?” “Wait, we missed Jaebum hyung!” The two discuss happily while Jinyoung examines Jungkook, the new kid in the third bed which used to be occupied by Yugyeom. 

 

It definitely wasn’t Jimin, and probably not Bora, a lesbian. Which only left… 

 

Jinyoung rejects the idea quickly. Im Jaebum just couldn’t be his secret admirer. Im Jaebum was a scheming liar, and Jinyoung was a fool for forgiving him in the first place. 

 

It had to be somebody else. Anyone but him. 

 

Jinyoung sighs out loud, and Jungkook looks up at him, big eyes staring curiously. 

 

“Just ignore them, Jungkookie. They can be a little loud sometimes.” 

 

(Jungkook eventually joins in the other two’s shenanigans, and by the end of Jinyoung’s shift, the three are thick as thieves, drawing stick figures of Jaebum and Jinyoung holding hands. Jimin asks for more drawings as Jinyoung mediates in the corner, trying not to scream.)

 

\-----

 

The day of the party finally comes, and since Namjoon asked Bora and Hoseok to take his night shift, Jinyoung, Jimin, Namjoon and Jackson take a taxi together to the hotel where they booked a hall for the party right after work, Namjoon heading to the hotel lobby to wait for Jin. 

 

Namjoon had asked Jin to meet him for dinner in celebration of his birthday in the same hotel, and halfway into the meal, Namjoon would take Jin to the hall where everyone was and they would surprise him. 

 

The lights are already on in the vast hall when Jinyoung walks in, the glittering chandelier illuminating the lavish decorations. Yoongi’s talking to one of the caterers, having been there since noon, and Jimin hurries to talk to his boyfriend as Jinyoung and Jackson check out the buffet. 

 

The long table in the centre of the hall is piled with all kinds of mouth-watering delicacies, from Jin’s favourite lobster noodles to Jimin’s favourite kimchi stew. Jinyoung’s eyes nearly pop out of their sockets as he notices the wide selection of food- there’s everything from traditional Korean food to Western delicacies. 

 

“Namjoon really went all out on this one, huh?” Jinyoung nudges Jackson only to find Jackson’s hands edging towards the lamb skewers. ”Have some self-restraint, Jin isn’t going to arrive for another hour.”   

 

Jinyoung slaps Jackson’s reaching hands gently and Jackson pouts, gaze lingering on the lamb skewers. Jinyoung only laughs,”c’mon, let’s get changed.” 

 

\-----

 

Jinyoung and Jackson change into their outfits and join Yoongi and Jimin, the couple clad in their matching pink shirts. Jackson pretends to retch while tasting a glass of pink lemonade, and nearly spills it all over his neon pink sweater.

 

Jinyoung smiles softly at Jackson as he squawks loudly,”My outfit is ruined!” 

 

“It was ruined the moment you wore it.” Yoongi chimes, and Jimin elbows his boyfriend, giggling. Jinyoung suddenly feels a pang of loneliness as Yoongi smiles at Jimin adoringly, his hands engulfing Jimin’s smaller ones and rubbing them absentmindedly. Jimin blushes cutely under Yoongi’s stare, and Jinyoung is suddenly thankful for Jackson’s loud squealing. 

 

“I can’t believe I signed up to witness you two being gross!” Jackson complains loudly and swings an arm around Jinyoung’s shoulders.”Jinyoung and I are the sexy single hosts of the night!” 

 

“Were you a host? I didn’t notice.” Yoongi teases dryly, and Jinyoung laughs, patting Jackson’s head as Jackson mimes crying on his shoulder. 

 

Looking around the room, Jinyoung glances at the giant hall clock,”We should prepare now, guests should be arriving anytime.” The other three murmur assent, and they take their respective places- Jinyoung by the door welcoming guests, Jackson at the front of the hall mcing, Yoongi ready to distribute party poppers, and Jimin in charge of the grand buffet.

 

“Ready?” Yoongi grins at Jinyoung almost deviously, and Jinyoung nods, swallowing his nervousness.  The first bell rings, and the hall is sent into a flurry of motion as guests swarm in, bearing gifts and dressed in all shades of pink. 

 

Jinyoung stands by the door, welcoming guests until his actions almost become robotic -”Welcome! Nice pink shirt/dress/tie you have there! Gifts his way, please!”- but he enjoys the adrenaline of working non-stop. He recognises many familiar faces: Sandeul from the ER shows up with a pink bowtie, physiotherapist Kihyun sports pink sneakers, and even Mark the surgeon makes an appearance, without Im Jaebum by his side for once and admittedly stunning in a pink scarf. Mark smiles at Jinyoung when he gives the standard greeting and gives him a once over, and Jinyoung can’t help but feel a little self-conscious in his pink trench coat. 

 

Odd. 

 

Nothing remotely significant happens after that, except for Jin’s little cousin -who’s like what? 16?- who blushes when Jinyoung welcomes her and stares at him unrelentingly across the hall, typing on her phone furiously. 

 

And of course, Jackson notices and comes all the way over to tease Jinyoung about it. 

 

“I see you’ve got yourself an admirer there,” Jackson sidles up to Jinyoung with quiet footsteps, making Jinyoung jump. 

 

“Shut up.”

 

“Woah easy there.” Jackson holds up his hands in mock surrender,”We all know you like older men.”

 

“What do you mean, we all?” Jinyoung fights off the urge to punch Jackson’s grinning face, but Jackson only winks and shows him a text from Namjoon ‘-We’re almost there!’

 

“Oh my god.” Jinyoung pushes Jackson in the direction of the guests. “Get ready!” 

 

The four of them round up the guests in record speed, Yoongi making sure that every guest has a party popper in hand, and Jinyoung can practically hear his heart beat erratically as the door opens. 

 

“Where are we?” Jin says, and Jinyoung can practically hear the chuckle in Namjoon’s answer. 

 

“Wait and see…” 

 

Jin and Namjoon walk inside, and at Yoongi’s cue, everyone raises their party poppers and yells,”HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” 

 

Jin jumps from the noise, clutching onto Namjoon tightly, but then he takes in the surroundings and starts laughing,”You… You guys did this for me?” Namjoon, Jimin, Yoongi, and Jinyoung (also Jackson, but Jinyoung pretends not to see) nod, and Jin’s answering smile is wide, threatening to split his face in half. 

 

“That was a surprise, thank you all so much.” Jin says, and the party guests cheer, Jackson being the loudest, and Jinyoung fights off the urge to roll his eyes.  

 

But is it just Jinyoung, or does Jin sound slightly disappointed?

 

_ Ah _ , Jinyoung raises his eyebrows as Jin shoots Namjoon a pointed look. Jin probably thought Namjoon was about to propose or something, which was too bad…

 

“Oh my god look!” Jackson whispers loudly right next to Jinyoung’s ear, but for once Jinyoung can’t bring himself to care, since he’s also gasping at the scene unfolding in front of him. 

 

The crowd’s cheers get louder as Namjoon gets down on one knee, pulling a small box out of his pocket. Jin covers his face in disbelief as Namjoon swallows nervously and pulls out a ring- with a pretty big diamond on it, Jinyoung notes. (No wonder he could afford the extravagant party. Jinyoung was totally asking for the lunch money he lent Namjoon last week back, but anyway.)

 

“Kim Seokjin,” Namjoon starts slowly, and Jin nods, face still covered. “Will you marry me?” 

 

“Of course I will, you idiot!” Jin flings his arms around Namjoon, who nearly drops the ring but looks glad nevertheless, and the hall erupts into loud whoops and whistles. 

 

Jinyoung claps along, happy for his friends who both have etastic grins etched onto their faces. What a way to make the night even more unforgettable, he thinks as Jin finally unwinds his arms from Namjoon’s neck to show his ring to his cousin. 

 

A small crowd clusters around Jin, who looks flattered by the attention, and Namjoon walks over, wiping sweaty hands on his pants. Jackson claps him on the back loudly,”Congratulations man! You finally got the guts to do it!” 

 

“Yeah.”Namjoon grins, embarrassed but pleased. “I said a bunch of mushy stuff on the way here and planned to propose but I chickened out and pretended to tie my laces.” 

 

Jackson laughs, lips tugging upward in a roguish grin,”Hey, at least you still got him!” 

 

The party goes in full swing now, and guests gather in small groups, tucking into the buffet or just chatting and having a good time generally. Jimin and Yoongi show up hand in hand and congratulate Namjoon on getting engaged, and Jinyoung is in the middle of teasing them about following in the engaged couple -Wow, this was _ really  _ happening- footsteps when the doorbell rings. 

 

“I’ll be back soon,” Jinyoung winks at a flustered Jimin and walks towards the door. Who could it be at this time? 

 

Jinyoung opens the door hesitantly, expecting to find one of the hotel staff telling them to be quiet or something, but instead he finds Im Jaebum. 

 

Im Jaebum, dressed in a simple suit -black blazer stretched across his broad shoulders and tie slightly loosened- looks impossibly hot. Im Jaebum peers at Jinyoung curiously, as if he didn’t expect Jinyoung to be there, and smiles hesitantly,”Hello?” 

 

(Jinyoung wants to die.)

 

“Hi.” Jinyoung answers blandly, fixing his eyes on Im Jaebum’s forehead firmly so he won’t get distracted by his hair that’s just the right amount of disheveled and styled, or his hands fitted with a bunch of silver rings,  _ or _ his long legs that fit his slim dress pants so well. 

 

“Can I, uh, come in?” Jinyoung belatedly realises that he’s blocking the door, and he moves to let Im Jaebum pass. 

 

Im Jaebum eyes him cautiously, and Jinyoung can’t help but feel irritated. 

 

“Where do I put Jin’s present?” Im Jaebum asks, still looking at Jinyoung like he’s a rabid dog ready to go into attack mode any time. 

 

Jinyoung jerks his chin towards the gift table, barely containing his sudden foul mood. Im Jaebum edges towards the table like a scolded schoolkid, and Jinyoung suddenly remembers. 

 

“Oh wait-” Im Jaebum stops in his tracks. “-You need to wear something pink to enter.” Jinyoung says, crossing his arms.  _ Switzerland dumbed you down, didn’t it, Golden Hand. _ Jinyoung thinks to himself. 

 

Im Jaebum’s mouth falls open in a surprised ‘o’. “I’m sorry, I forgot,” Im Jaebum rummages in his bag for something, his bag hanging clumsily on one wide shoulder, zipper open wide, and Jinyoung has half a mind to zip it close for him. 

 

“Found it.” Im Jaebum takes out a clumsily wrapped gift tied by a pink ribbon, and Jinyoung watches, wide-eyed, as Im Jaebum tugs off his tie (Jinyoung tries to limit his staring to a minimum) and knots a bow around his neck with the ribbon. 

 

“Do I look good?” Im Jaebum gives the bow one final tug, and Jinyoung can’t decide whether he should laugh or scowl,”You look like an idiot.”

 

“Yeah, but do I look good?” 

 

“Whatever, you can go in.” 

 

Im Jaebum grins at him, eyes crinkling, and Jinyoung has to look away to avoid doing something embarrassing like drooling. Jinyoung stares at the monstrosity in Im Jaebum’s hands instead,”What… What is that.” 

 

“This?” Im Jaebum holds up the box, wrapped terribly with bright Supreme wrapping paper. “My gift for Jin, of course!” 

 

“Are you for real?” Jinyoung splutters, squinting at the box with a flap sticking out and a lump on top of it. 

 

“Of course I am,” Im Jaebum smiles at Jinyoung, as if he isn’t holding the worst wrapped gift in the entire world. “It’s a work of art!” 

 

“Are you really going to give that-” Jinyoung gestures at the gift- God, just  _ looking _ at it made Jinyoung nauseous-”to Jin hyung?” 

 

Im Jaebum turns the box around, frowning slightly, (Not cute, not cute  _ at all _ , Jinyoung tells himself) ”Okay, I can stick down that flap, and it’s going to look alright.” 

 

Jinyoung takes the gift from Im Jaebum and shows him the huge bump on top of the box,”We take down that flap, but what- what is that?” 

 

Im Jaebum seems unbothered,”It’s endearing!” 

 

“No, it’s- You know what, fine.” Jinyoung shoves the gift back into Im Jaebum’s hands. “Just go.” 

 

Im Jaebum finally walks away, but not before he shoots Jinyoung a lopsided grin,”See you around, Jinyoung.”  

 

Jinyoung collapses on one of the cream couches, massaging his throbbing head. 

 

It was going to be a long night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey demons,,, it's ya boi   
> slightly longer chapter to make up for the wait rip (can u tell i wanted to be a party planner once) and i hope you liked it! thanks for all the comments, kudos and subscriptions the next chapters are in the making and i have a lot of stuff planned so it's gonna be fun^^ let me know your thoughts and theories on how this is going lol  
> (psst if u knew where the last bit is from... :))))))))
> 
> 20171110


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even though Jinyoung’s view is partially blocked by Jimin, he can still see Im Jaebum gulping, jaw setting determinedly. Jinyoung’s heartbeat booms in his eardrums as Im Jaebum fumbles for a reply, the short seconds feeling like forever as Im Jaebum opens his mouth.
> 
>  
> 
> “Jinyoung.” Im Jaebum’s voice isn’t loud, but his voice rings in Jinyoung’s head like a broken record.
> 
>  
> 
> Jinyoung. Jinyoung. Jinyoung.
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> _Jinyoung._

Im Jaebum’s mere appearance at the party throws Jinyoung off his game, and he ends up sulking by the buffet after Im Jaebum manages to seduce all his friends, leaving him alone by the food.

 

 _Just being lonely by the buffet table_ , Jinyoung thinks idly as he munches on some cheesy shrimp puffs. _Nothing special, nothing to look at._  

 

“Hey loser.”

 

Yoongi appears at his side without warning, and Jinyoung nearly chokes on the pastry.

 

True to his sardonic nature, Yoongi waits patiently for Jinyoung to finish coughing without offering any help, arms folded.

 

“What?” Jinyoung mutters, drinking from a bottle of sparkling water, (That stuff was nasty, Jinyoung thinks as he swallows grimly. _Damn Jackson for buying 20 bottles only because they looked pretty._ ) and dabbing hastily at his face.

 

“I could sense your loneliness all the way from the other side of the hall. You alright?” Yoongi nibbles on the edge of a shrimp puff gingerly, and Jinyoung takes it as a cue to pile a bunch of puffs onto his plate.

 

“I’m fine.” Jinyoung says, cramming a puff into his mouth. “Jugh not realth in the mph.”

 

“I can’t hear what you’re saying, these puffs aren’t even that good.” Yoongi grabs a fruit tart instead. “Jackson’s talking about playing a game after the other guests leave, stop sulking and join in.”

 

“First of all, I’m not sulking, and these puffs are-,” Jinyoung starts, but Yoongi’s no longer paying him any attention, enraptured by the mini cheesecakes next to the tarts.

 

Jinyoung sighs loudly, and polishes off his hoard of puffs before reaching for a fifth serving.

 

Only one shrimp puff was left on the large silver tray thanks to Jinyoung’s efforts, and Jinyoung’s fingers inch towards it eagerly, getting closer and closer to the flaky puff, until someone snatches it out of Jinyoung’s grip centimeters away.

 

“Wha-?” Jinyoung looks up only to find Im Jaebum- _fucking Im Jaebum, again?_ -, holding the puff (his puff) and smirking at him.

 

“Sorry, but I do believe that that’s my shrimp puff,” Jinyoung gets ready to give a very long and very angry speech on why that last shrimp puff is his, and his _only_ , when Im Jaebum opens his mouth and swallows said shrimp puff _whole_.

 

Jinyoung nearly gasps. Was Im Jaebum a caveman? What kind of uneducated _fuck_ would eat a puff whole?

 

“Is it now?” Im Jaebum smirks at Jinyoung ever so slightly, eyebrows raised handsomely, and suddenly Jinyoung can’t think straight.

 

“Don’t you have, like, Swiss puffs to eat instead?” Jinyoung blurts, glaring at Im Jaebum, who frowns at him, nose scrunching cutely.

 

“What Swiss puffs?” Im Jaebum asks, sporting a confused smile. “I do have some Swiss chocolate though, do you want some?”

 

“How dare you?” Jinyoung grabs the edge of the tablecloth, trying to control himself. _How dare you steal my spot and flaunt it in front of my face?_ Jinyoung wants to say, but the words are stuck in his throat, and Jinyoung gawks unattractively at Im Jaebum, trying to reorganise his jumbled thoughts.

 

Im Jaebum stares back at him, eyes unreadable, as Jinyoung opens and closes his mouth like a goldfish. This wasn’t how Jinyoung expected his confrontation with Im Jaebum would go.

 

“Game time!” Jackson appears as a welcome distraction, and Jinyoung lets his friend usher him to where the others are, Im Jaebum trailing behind them for some reason.

 

Most of the guests, including the newly engaged pair, had already left, leaving only Im Jaebum, Mark, Jimin, Yoongi and Jackson in the vast hall.

 

Jackson tells them to sit in a circle, and Jinyoung sits as far away from Im Jaebum as possible, between Jackson and Jimin.

 

“Okay,  so this game we’re playing is called Paranoia.” Jackson says, taking out a coin.

 

”Everyone sits in a circle, and the first person asks a question to the person on his left. Then, the person has to answer with the name of someone in this circle.”

 

Mark passes around a bunch of leftover drinks, and Jinyoung takes an apple cider gratefully. Jackson takes a sip on his pepsi and continues, “Then, I toss this coin.”

 

Jackson flips the coin, and it lands on the ground, tails up, “Heads, the person has to say what the question was. Tails,  we move onto the next person.”

 

“So we don’t have to reveal the question if it comes up tails? Then what do we do?” Jimin asks, and Jackson winks at him, “And we wonder, of course!”

 

Jackson starts the game by whispering a question in Mark’s ear, and everyone goes silent as Mark answers, “Jackson.” without hesitating. Between sips of his cider, Jinyoung notices how Jackson’s ears go red.

 

Interesting…

 

Jackson tosses the coin, and to Jinyoung’s disappointment, the coin lands tails up.

 

“Moving on!” Jackson clears his throat in the midst of disappointed sighs, and Mark leans over to whisper in Im Jaebum’s ear.

 

Im Jaebum answers quickly as well, ”It’s you, of course.” Jinyoung’s heart leaps involuntarily at his answer: _What did Mark ask him?_

 

“Coin time!” Jackson shouts gleefully as he tosses the coin, which falls heads up.

 

They all lean in close, eager to know what question Mark asked, but Mark only shrugs, “I asked him who his best friend was.”

 

Everyone groans at the boring question, but Jinyoung feels oddly relieved as he leans back. _Must be the cider_ , he reassures himself, taking another long sip.

 

Im Jaebum takes his turn, whispering to Yoongi excitedly, hiding his face behind his hand and Jinyoung suddenly feels restless for some unknown reason. He excuses himself quickly, and splashes his face over and over with cold water until he can’t really feel his face. He finally exits the bathroom after scrubbing his face raw, and it just so happens to be his turn when he gets back to the hall.

 

“It’s your turn, hyung!” Jimin waves him over excitedly, and Jinyoung grumbles as he takes his seat again.

 

“Who would you date in this circle?” Jimin whispers. Jinyoung gives him a look, and Jimin adds a “Don’t pick Yoongi-hyung, though.” in normal volume as an afterthought.

 

Jinyoung rolls his eyes, “Fine, I won’t.”

 

“Who is it then?” Jackson crows, and Jinyoung closes his eyes, considering his options.

 

Yoongi -and by extension Jimin- were clearly off limits, and Jinyoung was too close to either of them to consider dating them anyway. The same went for Jackson, which only left Mark and Im Jaebum in this tiny circle.

 

“Mark,” Jinyoung finally says, because come on- he would rather die than pick Im Jaebum.

 

Jimin looks surprised, and everyone in the circle seems to look mildly bemused at Jinyoung’s choice. Jackson flips the coin wordlessly, and Jinyoung thanks his lucky stars when the coin lands on its tail.

 

The game carries on idly, questions getting weirder and weirder after each time Jackson takes his turn. Jinyoung decides to curl up on the couch with a fresh bottle of cider after Jimin asks him whose toes he would suck honey off, because honestly, what?

 

“I never knew you thought of me in that way, Jinyoungieeeeeeeee.” Jackson whines, apparently pleased with Jinyoung’s answer and also fairly inebriated. JInyoung rolls his eyes and flops onto his side, smothering his face with a stray cushion.

 

Soft footsteps paddle to Jinyoung’s side, and Jinyoung feels someone sit down on the other end of the couch. Jinyoung wriggles his toes, kicking off his stiff loafers, not minding the warmth that practically radiates off the person. He promptly plops his feet onto said person’s lap -Probably Jimin or Jackson?- and recoils when the person stiffens at the contact- Okay, probably not Jimin or Jackson.

 

Jinyoung shoves the cushion off his face and sits up, one arm wrapped securely around his calves and the other clutching his beloved cider, “It’s you?”

 

Im Jaebum smiles sheepishly from the other end of the couch, and Jinyoung pulls his knees closer to himself protectively, “Why are you here?”

 

“I, uh, thought that you were sick or something.” Im Jaebum twiddles his thumbs awkwardly, “Besides, I wanted to tell you that I-”

 

“Jaebum! Hyung!” Jackson hiccups loudly from where the others are still playing, “It’s your turn!”

 

“I-” Im Jaebum starts, but Jinyoung pours the remaining cider down his throat in one go, not knowing or caring what Im Jaebum wanted to say, and all he hears is a resigned exhale before the weight by his feet is lifted.

 

Jinyoung’s feet feel like ice blocks again, and he might or might not miss the warmth from Im Jaebum the human heater.

 

 _Just a sign to get a new electric heater_ , Jinyoung reassures himself as he slips his feet back into his loafers reluctantly.

 

Jinyoung sits upright again, watching the game in front of him absent-mindedly. It’s Im Jaebum’s turn again, and Mark shoots Jinyoung a cautious look before whispering conspiratorially into Im Jaebum’s ear.

 

Even though Jinyoung’s view is partially blocked by Jimin, he can still see Im Jaebum gulping, jaw setting determinedly. Jinyoung’s heartbeat booms in his eardrums as Im Jaebum fumbles for a reply, the short seconds feeling like forever as Im Jaebum opens his mouth.

 

“Jinyoung.” Im Jaebum’s voice isn’t loud, but his voice rings in Jinyoung’s head like a broken record.

 

Jinyoung. Jinyoung. Jinyoung.

 

_Jinyoung._

 

All of a sudden, Jinyoung’s throat feels constricted, and the tingling taste of the cider does nothing to clear the bitter taste in his mouth. He props his head on one of the couch’s armrests, and that’s how Jimin finds him later, a drunken mess on the pristine couch.

 

“Hyung?” Jimin pokes his elbow, and Jinyoung grunts, too tired to even open his eyes.

 

“Can you walk?” Yoongi says, somewhere next to Jimin, and Jinyoung tries to reply, but his tongue feels limp, lolling in his mouth uselessly.

 

“Urghhhhhhhhhhhh.” Jinyoung mutters, already half passed out.

 

“Oh god,” Jimin despairs.

 

“Can one of you guys take him home?” Yoongi says.

 

“Mmmphhhh.” Jackson whines somewhere.

 

“Yeah, I’ll take him,” Someone else -Mark?- says, and another voice murmurs assent.

 

Strong arms lift Jinyoung from his fetal position on the couch, and the last thing that goes through Jinyoung’s head is how good the person’s smooth shirt feels against his burning face.

 

Then, he’s swirling down the bottomless tunnel of sleep, leaving no space for his wandering thoughts.

 

\-----

 

Jinyoung wakes up with a throbbing headache, tangled in unfamiliar sheets. Sunlight spills through a nearby window, and he grabs the alarm clock on the bedside table.

 

“11 am?” Jinyoung nearly falls out of the small (but admittedly very comfy) bed as he scrambles outside, tripping over his own feet.

 

Jinyoung notices he’s in Jackson’s apartment once he stumbles into the living room, but Jackson is nowhere to be found. There’s a small pack of aspirins on the table, and he takes two gratefully, head still pounding a mile a minute.

 

Jinyoung’s searching for a cup of water when Jackson walks through the door, shirt buttoned haphazardly, exposing a smattering of bruises on his chest, “Yo, pass over one of those.”

 

“You-” Jinyoung blurts, unable to comprehend what on earth he’s doing in Jackson’s house, with Jackson who clearly just came back from doing god knows what.

 

“Yes, I.” Jackson swallows the pills dry and Jinyoung stares at him, astounded.

 

“You just got laid.”

 

“Yes,” Jackson buttons up his shirt with one hand, smirking, and Jinyoung rolls his eyes. Cocky bastard.

 

“Oh, don’t be jealous,” Jackson hands Jinyoung water in a bowl. “ _Someone_ took care of you pretty well last night.”

 

Jinyoung splutters, water dripping onto his crumpled shirt, “What do you mean?”

 

Jackson only shrugs and tosses Jinyoung his discarded trench coat, “Figure that out later, work is in thirty minutes.”

 

Jinyoung’s answering screech as he bolts into the bathroom does nothing to help his raw throat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello here's a new chapter :000 hope you liked it and the next chapter will come two weeks later (latest three weeks promise hfgfh) so look forward as Jinyoung actually tries to find his secret admirer ;)))))))))))))))))  
> ALSO this is still unbelievable but there's [cute art](https://twitter.com/monikirogers/status/933831665339772928/) of this fic?????????????????? it's so pretty aaaaaaaaaaaaaa i'm still in shock  
> belated happy thanksgiving to those who celebrate and i hope you have a good weekend <333  
> 20171125


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jinyoung pulls out the communal stationery tray next to his desk without looking, scrambling for any usable pen, but instead his fingers touch something cold and something….. velvety?
> 
>  
> 
> Jinyoung kneels down to inspect the contents in the tray closely. There were a few blunt pencils and one of Jimin’s treasured EXO ballpens -Jackson was lucky that Hoseok was covering Jimin’s shift right now, or Jimin would probably cut off his toes-, which Jinyoung pockets.
> 
>  
> 
> In the centre of the tray lies a box of coconut water and a small bird plushie.

Jinyoung and Jackson do get to the hospital right on time, thankfully, with the help of a few convenient green lights and the near-miraculous lack of policemen around to catch Jackson speeding.

 

There’s not much to do at the wards either, just the routine check-ups that Jackson unwillingly takes on after a short but violent arm wrestling match. Jinyoung takes out a few reports and forms from the file drawer to sign as Jackson gets his clipboard, grumbling.

 

“Take the time to think about who he is, okay?” Jackson says as he trudges sluggishly towards the rooms.

 

_He?_ Jinyoung wonders.

 

“Oh right,” Jinyoung exclaims out loud. His secret admirer, santa, whatever.

 

Jinyoung still had no idea who he was, but from what Jackson had hinted at not-so-subtly, his secret admirer was the one who brought him to Jackson’s house last night.

 

Well, didn’t that narrow down his list of suspects.

 

_1) Im Jaebum_

_2) Mark Tuan_

 

Jinyoung really didn’t want to think about who it was between the two- or rather, he didn’t want to think about the possibility that Im Jaebum was the one behind the thoughtful gifts and sweet words.

 

“Are you kidding me?” Jinyoung mutters under his breath as his last functioning ballpen -the last batch of pens he bought had all been ‘borrowed’ by Jackson at some point- runs out of ink in the middle of his signature.

 

Jinyoung pulls out the communal stationery tray next to his desk without looking, scrambling for any usable pen, but instead his fingers touch something cold and something….. velvety?

 

Jinyoung kneels down to inspect the contents in the tray closely. There were a few blunt pencils and one of Jimin’s treasured EXO ballpens -Jackson was lucky that Hoseok was covering Jimin’s shift right now, or Jimin would probably cut off his toes-, which Jinyoung pockets.

 

In the centre of the tray lies a box of coconut water and a small bird plushie. Jinyoung picks up the box first -it’s cool but not so cold that it’s painful to touch- and reads the note stuck behind.

 

“Hangovers suck but feel bottom? Oh, better, soon!” Jinyoung reads, struggling to decipher the messy, slanted scrawl.

 

_He was probably in a hurry when he wrote this_ , Jinyoung muses, a strange, fluttering feeling rising in his heart. The fact that someone took the time to write -and buy- something for him made him feel incredibly warm.

 

Jinyoung sets down the box and note on his desk and moves on to the plushie. The plushie was tiny, small enough to fit in Jinyoung’s palm, and its plump beak seems to smile up at Jinyoung.

 

Jinyoung smiles back at the small toy, placing it carefully in his bag -the spare bag he keeps at the hospital, not the supermarket plastic bag he borrowed from Jackson to put his phone and wallet- and squishing its cute cheeks.

 

Jinyoung gets through the papers in high spirits, noting on the whiteboard that Yugyeom was coming in for a follow-up scan in the afternoon, baby Changkyun was going home for the weekend, Youngjae’s MRI scan was scheduled tomorrow, et cetera, et cetera.

 

Things were looking up.

 

\-----

 

Later, Jinyoung heads down to the canteen with Jackson for a late lunch. The canteen is mostly empty, and they manage to get food and seats with little hassle.

 

Jinyoung is busy plowing through his pasta when he sees Mark across the hall. Mark seems deep in thought, staring at the menu unblinkingly.

 

“Hey, there’s Mark!” Jinyoung waves Mark over, but Jackson shakes his head frantically and mumbles through a large mouthful of rice.

 

_Weren’t they friends or something?_ Jinyoung wonders, but Mark is already over, his gaze fixated on them.  

 

“Hi,” Jackson offers weakly when Mark comes by. Mark seems preoccupied, but offers both of them a tight-lipped smile.

 

The atmosphere suddenly becomes weirdly static, and Jinyoung finishes the pasta in dead silence.

 

Jackson takes tiny bites while Mark watches them on the side, and Jinyoung gets the inkling that something’s wrong.

 

_Say something to dissipate the tension_ , Jinyoung tells himself.

 

_But what?_

 

_I don’t know! Anything!_

 

Jinyoung’s gaze drops to Mark’s coat pocket where a pen rests, and he blurts,”Can you lend me your pen, Mark-hyung?”

 

Both Jackson and Mark look at him weirdly, but there’s no time to berate himself when Mark says “Sure.” and hands him the pen.

 

Jinyoung fidgets with the pen nervously before taking out a spare card from his pocket and scribbling on it.

 

The pen is a peculiar shade, the colour of a sky with no cloud in sight, azure blue. The ink is pretty, but oddly familiar for some reason.

 

Jinyoung squeezes his eyes shut, trying to remember. What on earth had he forgotten?

 

“Shit!” Jinyoung’s eyes fly open, and he stands up, grabbing his tray.

 

Mark and Jackson peer at him curiously, and Jinyoung explains hurriedly, “I totally forgot Yugyeom was coming by at 3, I gotta go back up right now.”

 

“I’ll go with you,” Jackson blurts, and Jinyoung eyes his tray, still heaped with rice and curry.

 

“You haven’t finished so much of your rice, don’t waste food.” Jinyoung shakes his head, “Plus, I’m in charge of him, just come up when you’re finished.”

 

Jackson still looks hesitant for some reason, but Mark nods and waves bye, and Jinyoung makes his way up to the wards.  

 

\-----

 

The elevator ride up seems to take an eternity, but thankfully Jinyoung gets there before Yugyeom. Jimin is also back on his shift, and Jimin gives him an encouraging pat as Jinyoung stares blankly at Yugyeom’s file.

 

“Hey, at least someone bothered to bring your drunk ass to Jackson’s last night.” Jimin grins, handing Jinyoung his trusty coffee mug.

 

_Was Jimin referring to Mark?_ Jinyoung ponders. He only really knew that the person who took him to Jackson’s place was his secret admirer.

 

“Yeah, I’m happy that he’s looking out for me,” Jinyoung answers. _I would probably be dead in a ditch without him,_ he wants to add, but stops himself in time when he sees Im Jaebum and Yugyeom well in earshot, standing just behind the door.

 

“Jinyoungie hyung!” Yugyeom beams as Jinyoung walks outside. Jinyoung ruffles Yugyeom’s hair as he flings his short arms around him,”Hey, Yugyeom.”

 

“Hello.”

 

Jinyoung lets go of Yugyeom and stands up, standing face to face with Im Jaebum. Im Jaebum looks tired, probably from last night’s party, but he looks fresh and polished as always, dressed neatly in a grey blazer.

 

Im Jaebum looks uncertain for some reason, biting on his lips nervously for some reason. But his eyes are bright with something like hope, so Jinyoung smiles back stiffly, “Hi.”

 

Yugyeom looks between the two of them, like he’s witnessing a very interesting table tennis match, and Jinyoung mourns internally at his misfortune. Why was he always caught in such awkward situations?

 

It’s also Yugyeom who finally breaks the silence,”Can I go play with Youngjae and Bambam?”

 

“They’re your hyungs you little rascal,” Jinyoung laughs, feeling easier as Yugyeom fidgets with his hospital wristband. “You can play with them after your scan, but not now.”

 

“Is this Kim Yugyeom?” One of the hospital staff with a wheelchair calls from the ward entrance, and Jinyoung motions the siblings to follow him.

 

Yugyeom pouts, and Jinyoung pinches his soft button nose gently,”Go now, we can play later.”  

 

Im Jaebum is looking at Jinyoung expectantly, as if he expects him to say something, but Jinyoung gives him a parting nod, turning away sharply.

 

Jinyoung is then greeted with the sight of Jimin leaning on the printer, giving him a knowing look.

 

“What?” Jinyoung frowns. _Why was everyone giving him weird looks?_  

 

“Nothing, _hyung_.” Jimin nimbly ducks from Jinyoung’s smack as he flounces out of the room, and Jinyoung is left with his paperwork once again .

 

Great.

 

\-----

 

Yugyeom finishes his scan and comes back to the dorm in no time, begging Jinyoung to let him play, and Jinyoung gives in, taking him to where Jungkook, Youngjae, and Bambam reside.

 

Youngjae and Bambam shout in glee once they glimpse their friend, but Jungkook seems uncertain, wide eyes blinking slowly. Jinyoung goes next to Jungkook and pulls Yugyeom’s hand gently towards him.

 

“Jungkook, this is Yugyeom. Yugyeom, Jungkook.”

 

“Hello! Let’s all play together!.” Yugyeom gushes enthusiastically, and Jungkook smiles back shyly.

 

Jinyoung is ready to leave the kids to Im Jaebum’s supervision and maybe get some work done, but Bambam tugs on his sleeve,”Play with us, Jinyoungie hyung!”

 

Im Jaebum smirks at Jinyoung’s flustered expression,”Yeah, play with them, Doctor Park.”

 

Jinyoung huffs, crossing his arms,”Well, it’s only fair that Surgeon Im plays with us too, right!”

 

The kids cheer and Yugyeom pulls Im Jaebum closer, and it’s Jinyoung’s turn to laugh at his startled face.

 

Jinyoung clamps his hand over his mouth once he notices how loud his laughter is, but Im Jaebum is already staring at him with an odd look in his eyes.

 

_Seriously, what was with all this staring?_

 

Jinyoung blinks and focuses back on the kids,”So, what game are we playing?”

 

“We’re playing the human knot game!” Bambam cheers as Yugyeom guides them all into standing in a circle, little hands grabbing at each other’s.

 

Jinyoung takes hold of Youngjae’s tiny hand, kneading open his balled fist into an open palm, noting how tense his hand muscles were.

 

_Time to ask the physiotherapy department to make him a functional splint or something,_ Jinyoung thinks to himself.

 

Jinyoung glimpses Jungkook’s free hand and makes to take hold of it, but Bambam notices,”No, Jinyoung hyung, you can’t take the hands of those standing next to you!”

 

“Yeah, take Jaebum hyung’s hand instead!” Youngjae chimes, and Jinyoung looks up from the kids to see Im Jaebum’s hand, outstretched towards him.

 

_It’s just a game, right?_ Jinyoung reassures himself, and takes Im Jaebum’s hand.

 

Im Jaebum’s hand is surprisingly smaller than Jinyoung’s own, but it’s impossibly warm contrasted with Jinyoung’s cold hand, and the unexpected warmth makes Jinyoung want to do something crazy, like rub his face against it.

 

“Let’s start!” Yugyeom’s sharp voice breaks into Jinyoung’s thoughts, and he can’t help but flush a little as he reprimands his inappropriate imagination.

 

The game starts with Jinyoung paying minimal attention to it, following the children’s orders blindly. Im Jaebum’s warm hand is so distracting that Jinyoung tugs on it too forcefully while he crouches to let Youngjae maneuver his hand around his head.

 

Jinyoung mutters a quick sorry, avoiding Im Jaebum’s gaze, searing hot on his back. From the corner of his eye, Jinyoung sees a flash of something like hurt on Im Jaebum’s face, but when he twists around to look again, Im Jaebum looks as cold as Jinyoung first saw him, face set into a calm mask, so different from his warm hands and the easy smile he had let slip on a few occasions.

 

“Hyung, turn around!” Jungkook pokes Jinyoung’s arm, and Jinyoung does as he says, forming a perfect circle.

 

“We did it!” Jinyoung smiles encouragingly at the children, who seem uncharacteristically disgruntled.

 

“Jackson hyung said this game was super difficult, but it’s just easy.” Bambam pouts.

 

“Yeah, it’s too easy!” Yugyeom whines next to him, and Im Jaebum laughs, a deep, throaty chuckle that makes Jinyoung’s heart do this flippy thing.

 

“You know your Jackson-hyung, he’s always full of bullshi-”

 

“Swear jar, hyung!” Yugyeom crows.

 

Jinyoung lets go of Im Jaebum’s hand to pry open Youngjae’s tight grasp on his other hand, and he physically feels the absence of Im Jaebum’s warm hand as he rubs his freezing hands on his leg furiously.

 

“Who said anything about Jackson hyung?” Jackson sticks his head into the room, sending the kids into a flurry as they crowd around him, chattering excitedly.

 

“Hyung! The game wasn’t fun!” Youngjae exclaims as soon as Jinyoung lets go off his hand, hurrying to join the small circle that has formed around Jackson, leaving Jinyoung to sit on Jungkook’s bed awkwardly, opposite to Im Jaebum, who opts for one of the guest chairs.

 

“I’m sure it was fun for someone, right?” Jackson winks at Jinyoung not-so-discreetly, and Jinyoung nearly topples off the bed. Luckily, none of the kids catch that and Jinyoung escapes from the room mostly unscathed, clenching his cold fists and vowing to murder Wang Jackson in his sleep.

 

\-----

 

Murdering Wang Jackson is easily said than done. From a note on Jinyoung’s phone he made back when Jackson stole the last packet of his latte mix last year, murdering Jackson would require at least four people with clown masks on, a ferret, two balloons, and a strategically placed banana peel.

 

So far, Jinyoung had three volunteers for the clowns, but no banana peels or ferrets yet. (Jinyoung had pocketed a few leftover balloons from Jin’s birthday party- just in case, but there was still a long, long way to go.)

 

(Also Jinyoung would kind of miss Jackson if he died.)

 

Moving on to his less prioritized (but still important!) tasks, Jinyoung seeks out Kihyun in the cafeteria, asking him to make a splint for Youngjae. Kihyun agrees readily, pulling out a journal to jot it down, and Jinyoung offers Kihyun Jimin’s EXO pen when the physiotherapist fumbles around in his pockets.

 

“Hey, do you think Jackson will want a cucumber sandw- Is that my EXO pen? I thought you returned it to me, Park Jinyoung, you sneaky man.” Jimin walks over, holding a sandwich for Jackson, who was upstairs in the ward.

 

Kihyun hands the pen back to Jimin and takes Jimin’s fierce stare as a cue to leave, leaving Jinyoung to smile sheepishly as Jimin tucks the pen into his pocket, “What is with you and pens? First poor Mark-hyung, now me...”

 

“What about Mark-hyung?”

 

Jimin rolls his eyes, “Jackson told me all about it, you took his pen -the one with really pretty ink, the colour of the sky-”

 

Ah. Jinyoung remembers- the pen with the weirdly familiar ink.

 

It was almost like he had seen that ink before, was it on a letter, or one of the hospital documents?

 

“-your secret admirer should probably just send you a box of pens at this point,” Jimin continues.

 

Secret admirer… Pen…

 

_Oh._

 

Mark’s pen had the same ink as the scribbled writing on one of the notes from his secret admirer, which meant…

 

_Jimin teasing him about being brought home after the party. Jackson talking to Mark. Jackson telling him to figure out who his secret admirer was. Repeatedly._

 

“Oh my god,” Jinyoung’s eyes go round as the realization dawns on him.

 

“What?” Jimin asks,”Anyway, should I get him the sandwich or a bagel instead?”

 

“I gotta find Jackson,” Jinyoung replies, distracted.

 

“What?” Jimin gives him a weird look, but Jinyoung is already leaving the queue and heading for the lifts.

 

“Jinyoung, wait-”

 

“I have to know if it’s him!” Jinyoung half-shouts, heart thumping wildly as he manages to slide through the closing doors of a lift.

 

It’s Mark. It _has_ to be.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi hello how's it been i'm back bc i'm avoiding studying for mid-terms to post hahahahaha i've been a mess and everything sucks but hey who cares about my boring life ANYWAY about the fic- ~~i'll post the next chapter two weeks later but~~ i'll post weekly ~~after the next updates~~ , since there's only three chapters left in total :000 
> 
> but i'm also planning a collection of snippets that didn't rly make it into the timeline of this fic but still happen around the same timeline!! the one-shots (think of them as chapter 2.5, chapter 3.5 etc) will mostly be from jaebum's perspective, but some other characters might have their own pov too :)) 
> 
> it's going to be lots of fun and i'll hopefully add this fic a series before this fic ends so u guys will know when i post the snippets and i'll probably tweet abt it on twt too??? if anyone cares lol 
> 
> thanks for all the lovely comments and kudos, as always 
> 
> 20171208


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why?” Jinyoung swallows, unable to take in the bunch of information Mark just dumped on him.
> 
>  
> 
> Jackson sighs dramatically, behind his teacup,”You really don’t get it, don’t you?”
> 
>  
> 
> “He likes you!!” Jackson stage-whispers next to Jinyoung’s ear, and Jinyoung pushes him away in a disgruntled manner.

_ “I have to know if it’s him!” Jinyoung half-shouts, heart thumping wildly as he manages to slide through the closing doors of a lift.  _

 

_ It’s Mark. It  _ has _ to be.  _

 

Jinyoung darts out of the lift once it arrives, heart still thumping erratically as he strides into the ward. Weirdly, the nurse station slash rest room has its door closed, but Jinyoung can see Jackson through the glass panel of the door, so he flings open the door, not caring about the other person in the room (Hoseok?) sitting with his back towards him,”Is it Mark?” 

 

“Mark what?” The person sitting with his back to the door - _ oh god it’s Mark what has Jinyoung done _ \- asks, and Jinyoung pales as Jackson gives him a weird look as well. 

 

“Oh, uh, nothing, what are you doing here, hyung?” Jinyoung laughs weakly and edges towards the door. Time to quit his job and move to Mexico and live the rest of his life as a lonely, lonely taco vendor. 

 

“Tea?” Mark tips a teacup at Jinyoung, who nods numbly at the bizarre scenario. Mark Tuan and Jackson Wang having tea in the nurse station? Probably a dream, maybe -just maybe- Jinyoung didn’t have to move after all. 

 

But then Jackson keeps staring at Jinyoung, like he’s a puzzle waiting to be solved, and Jinyoung can just see from the look in his friend’s eye that Jackson  _ knows _ . 

 

_ Hola Mexico _ , Jinyoung mourns internally as Jackson exclaims, nearly dropping his teacup,”You thought Mark-hyung was your secret admirer?” 

 

“What?” Mark raises his eyebrows at Jinyoung incredulously, and Jinyoung laughs nervously,”I guess not then. Haha!” 

 

Jinyoung fingerguns Mark and dashes towards the door, but Jackson catches him and pulls him back into the room. 

 

“You’re not leaving until we figure this out,” Jackson sets Jinyoung in his favourite spinny chair firmly and crosses his arms, and Jinyoung feels very much like a prisoner being interrogated, sitting in a chair while the two shorter (!!) men stare down at him. 

 

“Why did you think it was me? Jackson told me he thought, um, you already knew.” Mark asks, sounding genuinely puzzled. 

 

“Know what? I just guessed it was you from the ink of the pen,” Jinyoung replies, folding his arms across his chest. 

 

“You really don’t know, do you?” Jackson laughs. “It’s Jaebum, you dummy.” 

 

And just like that, Jinyoung’s world falls into pieces with four words. 

 

“It’s him? But he hates me!” Jinyoung protests. 

 

“No he doesn’t! He likes you so much, it’s obvious.” Mark says the longest sentence Jinyoung’s ever heard from him, but Jinyoung is too shocked to actually comprehend this. 

 

“But- Hyung- Your pen,” Jinyoung stutters.

 

“When Jaebum was away I gave his gifts to you,” Mark says, but Jinyoung isn’t satisfied with his response. 

 

“What was the whole secret santa thing anyway?” Jinyoung asks, and he sees his friends exchange a look before Jackson finally says something. 

 

“Okay, I guess we do owe you an explanation,” Jackson starts, and Jinyoung frowns as Jackson comes clean about how Im Jaebum asked him for help to ask Jinyoung out and how Mark helped give the gifts to Jinyoung while he was away. 

 

“Remember that day at lunch? When you were talking to Youngjae- you know Yoo Youngjae, not our Youngjae-  _ haha,Yoo know Youngjae _ .” Jackson laughs, but continues when he’s met with blank stares from both Mark and Jinyoung. 

 

“Youngjae sorta let spill that there wasn’t actually a secret santa scheme, so I told Mark and he scribbled admirer on it instead,” Jackson finishes. 

 

“So you decided to just trick me like that? All of you?” Jinyoung fumes, feeling played. 

 

“It’s not like that, Jinyoung. Jaebum was just trying to get to know you.” Mark tries to explain, but Jinyoung isn’t having any of it. 

 

He stole my spot to go to Switzerland!” Jinyoung throws out his last line of defence, glaring at his shitty friends indignantly. 

 

“Well, I guess he didn’t mean to?” Jackson grins nervously, and Jinyoung actually laughs.

 

“You’re a shitty best friend, and a even shittier wingman. Just stop defending him already.” Jinyoung says.

 

“Okay but am I even your best friend at this point? You just called Jimin your BFFL last week-”

 

“Whatever, I changed my mind, go rot in hell with Im Jaeb-”

 

“Calm down, the guy was just trying to get you to notice him-” 

 

“Uh,” Mark says, and Jackson and Jinyoung both pause, having momentarily forgotten his presence in the midst of their arguing. 

 

“It was kinda, my fault that you lost the tour slot?” Mark shrugs, shooting Jinyoung an apologetic smile. 

 

“What do you mean?” 

 

Mark takes a sip from his discarded teacup,”I saw you outside Doctor Sun’s office and I overheard some bits of your conversation-” “That’s creepy.” “Shut up, Jackson.” 

 

“Anyway, I offhandedly mentioned it to Jaebum and he got really excited because his boss-” “Isn’t that your boss too?” “ _ Shut up _ , Jackson.” Jackson pulls a face, and Mark continues,”His boss asked him if he was interested and he wasn't planning on going because you know, Yugyeom, but he went and told his boss he changed his mind because he thought you were going and he wanted to go with you.” 

 

“Why?” Jinyoung swallows, unable to take in the bunch of information Mark just dumped on him. 

 

Jackson sighs dramatically, behind his teacup,”You really don’t get it, don’t you?” 

 

“He likes you!” Jackson stage-whispers next to Jinyoung’s ear, and Jinyoung pushes him away in a disgruntled manner. 

 

“That doesn’t mean I have to like him back. And you still suck, for the record,” Jinyoung sniffs, standing up as he sees Namjoon outside, ready to get changed and leave work. 

 

Mark hands the teacup back to Jackson, who’s sporting a shit-eating grin, and nods at Jinyoung,”I know, but still- think about it, Jinyoung.” 

 

Jackson waves bye to Mark as the other man exits and tries to dodge Jinyoung’s attack, but it’s too late. Jinyoung’s smack and Jackson’s answering howl echoes in the room, and Namjoon nearly drops his stethoscope. 

 

Just like any other day. 

 

\-----

 

Mark told Jinyoung to ‘think about it’, and that’s what he does.  

 

Jinyoung thinks about Im Jaebum, who turns out to be his secret admirer. 

 

Im Jaebum, who seemed like an ass at first, but then apologised to Jinyoung like a decent human being. 

 

Im Jaebum, who loved his little brother so much he knowingly broke hospital rules to see him. 

 

Im Jaebum, who’s surprisingly good with kids and charms them all with his  _ gonggi _ skills.

 

Im Jaebum, whose eyes crinkle into beautiful crescents when he smiles, losing the coldness of his set jaw and sharp angles melting into pure  _ soft _ . 

 

And there’s also  _ Im Jaebum _ , his secret admirer. 

 

Im Jaebum, who sent him thoughtful gifts and notes when he needed it most. 

 

Im Jaebum, who looked out for Jinyoung, even when he was quite literally 8000 kilometers away. 

 

Im Jaebum, who was kind enough to take him to Jackson’s when he was a drunken mess -and Jinyoung knew how whiny he could be when he was drunk.

 

_ And _ , Jinyoung discovers, he might not hate Im Jaebum after all, not even a little bit. 

 

\-----

 

Jinyoung drags Jimin to the hospital cafe right when their shift ends, ignoring the younger’s protests of  _ Yoongi’s waiting for me _ and  _ Jackson’s right there, ask him instead! _

 

Jinyoung finally stops when they reach the cafe and he plonks Jimin in one of the seats firmly,”First of all, Yoongi is twenty seven years old, he can stand a little waiting. And about Jackson- the little traitor, can we not talk about Jackson right now?” 

 

“Fine.” Jimin seems to have given up on resisting and only pouts a little, ”Hit me with the angst.” 

 

Jinyoung recounts the whole story -or rather, the lack thereof- with Im Jaebum, skipping parts that he assumed Jimin already knew, which didn’t leave much for Jinyoung to say. 

 

In fact, Jinyoung kind of regretted even talking about it, since Jackson had probably told everyone who worked in the hospital except him. 

 

Jimin, to his credit, listens without interrupting. When Jinyoung finishes, he nods and gets up. 

 

Jinyoung sticks out an arm to stop Jimin in his tracks,”Where do you think you’re going?” 

 

“Drinks.” Jimin points at the counter,”Listening to you talk so much made me thirsty too.” 

 

“Oh,” Jinyoung slinks back into his seat, feeling stupid. He watches as Jimin orders, pays, and eventually comes back with two coffees. 

 

“Here.” Jimin says, and Jinyoung accepts a latte graciously. He wraps his hands around the warm cup, sighing a little at its warmth, ”Thanks.” 

 

“It’s fine.” Jimin shrugs, stirring his drink. “Figured you needed it after whatever that was.” 

 

“I don’t even know anymore.” Jinyoung groans,”Tell me what to do, Jiminnie.” 

 

“Open your eyes, Jinyoung, the answer’s right in front of you.” Jimin takes an experimental sip from his coffee and makes a face, ”Blurgh, too much sugar.” 

 

They finish their coffees, bantering as they always do, but when a very disgruntled Yoongi pulls up to take Jimin home, Jinyoung just feels more confused than ever. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> new chapter!! Sorry it's rly short i planned one more scene originally but i figured it would be weird if i left it like that :000 next week's chapter will hopefully be longer tho   
> btw you might have noticed this work has been added to a series :))) i'm planning on posting a bunch of extra scenes of this fic as i mentioned last week and i'll start posting them around christmas so pls subscribe to the series if u don't wanna miss out haha (but i'll still tweet abt it i guess)  
> hope you liked this tiny update and thanks for all the lovely comments n kudos!!  
> 20171215


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jinyoung heads to Doctor Son’s office with quick steps, wincing at the glaring christmas lights and the plastic Santas sporting wide smiles. Doctor Son is standing outside her office when Jinyoung gets there, talking to someone whose back looks incredibly familiar.
> 
>  
> 
> Crap, it’s him. It’s Jaebum.
> 
>  
> 
> Jinyoung groans internally, moving sluggishly to where Doctor Son and Jaebum stand.
> 
>  
> 
> Does this goddamned hospital not have another heart surgeon?

The next day, Jinyoung finds a familiar note on his desk. He picks it up eagerly, wondering if it’s another note (no gift in sight yet) from Jaebum. 

 

His face falls when he reads the note. 

 

_ Hello, it’s Jaebum. _

 

_ I’m sorry I got your hopes up for nothing.  _

 

_ I’m sorry for bothering you. It won’t happen again. _

 

Jinyoung squeezes the piece of paper, eyes flitting between the words, trying to figure out what Jaebum meant.  

 

‘It won’t happen again’

 

_ Was this it? The end?  _

 

“What did he give you again? A Christmas card?” Jackson peers at the piece of paper over Jinyoung’s shoulder, and Jinyoung tosses the note at him, frustrated. 

 

“Did you tell him again?” Jinyoung asks as Jackson reads the note, frowning.

 

“No, I swear- I didn’t. Maybe it was Mark?” Jackson hands the piece of paper back to Jinyoung, who resists the urge to tear it apart. 

 

Jinyoung groans and massages his throbbing head. Mark was just as bad as Jackson, he should be surprised if Jaebum  _ didn't _ know. 

 

“Are you upset?” Jackson asks gently, and Jinyoung sighs,”I don’t know. Maybe, a little.” 

 

Jackson wraps his hands around Jinyoung as a comforting gesture, and Jinyoung accepts Jackson’s awkward patting for a few seconds, sniffing on Jackson’s shoulder pathetically,”Jackson?” 

 

“Hmm?” 

 

“Please don’t tell Jaebum about this.” 

 

Jinyoung feels Jackson’s chuckle rumble through his chest. 

 

“Don’t worry, I won’t” 

 

\-----

Jinyoung stops seeing Im Jaebum - _Jaebum_ , he keeps telling himself- in the hospital after the note, and he starts finding the sudden absence of that familiar smirk odd. That, coupled with the glittery Christmas decorations that now decked the hospital, made Jinyoung feel really lonely and sad.

 

“Jinyoung?” Jackson asks, and Jinyoung grunts, head still buried in his scarf. He’s taking a nap on his desk again, hoping that when he wakes up his troubles will be gone, and Jinyoung could live a normal, mundane life again.

 

“I know you’re awake, answer like a normal person,” Jackson flops down in the chair next to Jinyoung’s, and Jinyoung finally lifts his head up, rubbing at his eyes blearily,

 

“What do you want.” Jinyoung mutters, clawing through his messy hair.

 

“Down in the dumps again?” Jackson teases, but quickly hides his grin when Jinyoung stares into space, not in the mood to banter with Jackson.

 

“I’m sure it’ll get better.” Jackson pats Jinyoung’s hair as a gesture of comfort, but Jinyoung swats his hand away, still digging through his hair desperately.

 

“I’m okay, Jackson, don’t worry.” Jinyoung manages a tired smile. “Anyway, what were you saying?”

 

“Oh, Doctor Son asked to see you after the end of our shift. I think it’s about Jungkook’s surgery.” Jackson says, and Jinyoung’s heart downright _twists_ at the mention of a surgery.

 

“Fine. I’ll go up now, the shift is almost over anyway and I don’t want to leave late.” Jinyoung stands up, pushing the chair back to its original place.

 

“Meet you at the cafe later?” Jackson squeezes his hand in an encouraging manner, and Jinyoung nods uneasily, heart beating a mile a minute.

 

Jinyoung heads to Doctor Son’s office with quick steps, wincing at the glaring christmas lights and the plastic Santas sporting wide smiles. Doctor Son is standing outside her office when Jinyoung gets there, talking to someone whose back looks incredibly familiar.

 

_Crap, it’s him. It’s Jaebum._

 

Jinyoung groans internally, moving sluggishly to where Doctor Son and Jaebum stand.

 

_Does this goddamned hospital not have another heart surgeon?_

 

“Oh, Doctor Park!” Doctor Son greets Jinyoung enthusiastically, and he musters an awkward grin as he moves the stand between her and Jaebum.

 

There is an awkward pause as Doctor Son looks at the two of them, as if she expects them to start chit-chatting or something.

 

_Or something._

 

“Hi,” Jaebum nods politely in Jinyoung’s direction, but there’s none of that familiar warmth in his eyes.

 

 _He’s still handsome though_ , a tiny, traitorous voice in Jinyoung’s voice chides. And yes, Jaebum does look stunning with his hair falling in his eyes casually, eyes sparkling with a determined glint as he fumbles with the notes he’s holding.

 

“Yeah,” Jinyoung stutters as both Doctor Son and Jaebum look at him, and he realises belatedly that they expect an answer, ”Hi.”

 

Doctor Son proceeds to explain the case on hand- Jungkook needs surgery for his heart next week, and they both need to discuss what Jungkook needs to recover better after the surgery.

 

“We’ll go in here, but the incision won’t be too wide since we aren’t using the traditional method…” Jaebum explains, pointing at a diagram, his eyebrows knitting together in concentration.

 

Doctor Son nods and looks at Jinyoung,”Are you okay with that, Doctor Park? Surgeon Im was concerned that Jungkook wouldn’t react well since he’s young, but do you think he can handle it?”

 

“Hmm…” Jinyoung tries to concentrate on their discussion, but he struggles to even think, because Jaebum just looks so distracting when he’s serious, lips jutted out almost like he’s pouting, and Jinyoung can’t think at all.

 

How professional of him.

 

“Right.” Jinyoung coughs and looks away, pretending that he wasn’t spacing out just seconds ago. “I think it’s okay.”

 

“Great!” Doctor Son beams and Jinyoung tries his best to muster a half-hearted grin. “I’ll leave you two here to discuss the rest then, goodbye!”

 

Doctor Son waves at them cheerfully, and before Jinyoung can grasp the situation, she’s already walking away briskly, leaving Jinyoung and Jaebum to stare at each other awkwardly.

 

Jaebum seems to have lost his previous confidence, eyes fixed on his notes and fingers fidgeting with the edge of his notebook. There’s none of the thinly veiled amusement in Jaebum’s eyes, which Jinyoung’s gotten used to seeing.

 

“So-” “I think-” They both start at the same time, and Jaebum finally glances at Jinyoung, gesturing for him to go first.

 

“I think- I think the secret santa thing was, ah,” Jinyoung touches his nose in a self-conscious manner. “You didn’t have to tell me-”

 

“You didn’t like it?” There’s a waver in Jaebum’s voice, and Jinyoung hurries to rephrase.

 

“No, no, you just didn’t have to write the note.” Jinyoung blurts.

 

 _Crap, it sounds worse now_. Jinyoung mourns internally as a frosty silence settles upon the two of them.

 

“I’m sorry it was me, and not, you know, Mark” Jaebum finally says, Jinyoung looks up at him, only to see his face cold and closed off.

 

 _I didn’t mean that!_ Jinyoung wants to say, but the words are lodged in his throat, and no sound comes out from his parted lips.

 

“I’ll be sure not to bother you again,” Jaebum inclines his head slightly in Jinyoung’s direction. “Doctor Park.”

 

Jaebum turns to leave, and Jinyoung frowns, bothered by the weird twinge in his chest.

 

\----

 

The fact that he's undeniably love with Im Jaebum comes to Jinyoung in a dream, in the middle of the night.

They're in a park, and it's completely silent, even though the clock hand only points at 9 pm, and the lights in a nearby building are still on.

  
Jinyoung knows he's dreaming, because how could this situation ever occur in Seoul?

  
They're sitting together on a bench, not speaking, but the silence between them is not uncomfortable at all. (Im) Jaebum smiles at Jinyoung, broad silhouette shrouded in moonlight, looking every bit like he just walked out from a fairytale.  
  
Im jaebum laces his fingers with Jinyoung's, his motions so careful. He's chivalrous and gentle as always, even in a dream, and Jinyoung suddenly just knows.

Knows from how his heart is beating a mile a minute, knows from how his hands are gross and clammy (but dream Jaebum still holds on tight), knows from the mere _fact_ that he’s dreaming about this otherworldly situation.  
  
He's fucking in love with Im Jaebum.  
  
Im Jaebum, who's intimidatingly breathtaking but also the biggest dork ever, who makes Jinyoung suffer just by existing, whose hands are warm and smaller but ever so firm.  
  
Jaebum’s smile is warm. Encouraging, even, and Jinyoung starts to say,"I’m-"  
  
Jinyoung opens his mouth, but no sound comes out.  
  
_Tell him you're in love with him!!_ his brain shouts, and Jinyoung shouts back _I’m trying!_  
  
Im jaebum's bright eyes are filled with concern,"Jinyoung, are you okay?"  
  
_No, i'm in love with you_. Jinyoung wants to say, but he stays mute.    
  
"Jinyoungie?" Im Jaebum says, moving closer to his burning face, and Jinyoung's brain goes haywire, screaming _fuckfuckfuckfuck fuck NO_  
  
Jinyoung wakes up with a start, tangled in his sheets, sweating buckets and head buzzing.  
  
He flings away his suffocating blanket and scrambles for his phone in the dark, scrolling past the most visited contact (mr worldwide wang) and hitting dial on the second (ajiminnie).

 

Jimin picks up on the third ring, and the words just spill out of Jinyoung's mouth.  
  
"Jimin, I'm in love with him, I'm so stupid but I love him, so god help me-"  
  
"Jinyoung?" Yoongi's sleepy voice murmurs, and Jinyoung clucks impatiently, "Pass the phone to Jimin, hyung."  
  
"You're an idiot, you know that right?" Yoongi tells Jinyoung, who grits his teeth, "Yes, now pass the phone to Jimin before i do something drastic."  
  
"He's asleep, so go suck Jaebum's-" Jinyoung ends the call, not waiting for Yoongi to finish his sentence which probably wouldn't help his case.  
  
Jinyoung sighs as he dials Jackson's number. Jackson, thankfully, picks up on the second ring. "Hello!" Jackson answers cheerfully, as if it wasn't _bleeding_ 2 am.

 

“I’m in love with him,” Jinyoung groans. He adds “With Im Jaebum.” when Jackson doesn’t reply, but he only hears rustling from the other end.

 

“Jackson?” “Sorry, I’m ordering a Gucci bag- Mark owes me two million won now!”

 

“Are you serious.” Jinyoung rolls his eyes despite everything.

 

“Of course I am! Should I get the limited edition one or the vintage one?”

 

“Jackson, can we focus?” Jinyoung bites back a retort (or two) about Jackson’s disastrous fashion sense. Jackson might still have the energy to shop, but Jinyoung needs sleep and answers.

 

“Okay, so you love him-” “Fine, maybe not love, but I like him, I think.”

 

“You like Jaebum-hyung… So? He likes you too!” Jackson answers dismissively,

 

Jinyoung sighs,”I might have fucked that up.” He tells Jackson about their awkward exchange, while he tugs through his hair, frustrated.

 

Now, Jinyoung finally knew how he felt towards Jaebum, but it was too late.  

 

Jackson goes silent, and Jinyoung hears his own heartbeat, thumping madly in the silence of his bedroom.

 

“Don’t worry, Jinyoung,” Jackson says eventually. “Jaebum-hyung likes you too much to hate you.”

 

“Why, I don’t think-” Jinyoung wants to explain in detail as to why Jaebum now hates him and Jinyoung is undeserving of his love anyway, but he’s cut off by his own yawn.

 

Jackson laughs, “Go to sleep, Jinyoung.”

 

Jinyoung snuggles back into his blankets, feeling sleep come upon him like a heavy blanket. Before he closes his eyes, he mumbles,”Thanks, Jackson.”

 

“Everything will be alright, Jinyoungie.” Jackson says, and Jinyoung can just hear the smile in his voice.

 

 _Yes, everything will be alright._ Jinyoung tells himself as Jackson ends the call, but he’s still not entirely convinced when he drifts back to sleep.

 

\-----

 

Jinyoung wakes up the next morning, still feeling drained, but he reminds himself that _life goes on, no matter who you’re in love with_ , and heads to work with a heavy heart.

 

Jackson is gracious enough to offer Jinyoung a ride to work so that he doesn’t have to eat at home, scarfing down an energy bar in Jackson’s car instead. Jackson even plays Jinyoung’s favourite songs, ditching his favourite EDM-heavy tracks for ballads which were more of Jinyoung’s taste.

 

“Have you heard of that new cafe near the hospital?” Jackson asks halfway into Day6’s Letting Go, and Jinyoung shakes his head, staring out of the window. The skies were grey, and the clouds seems dark too. And of course, Jinyoung didn’t bring his umbrella.

 

“Well, you should head over there and get some of their matcha pancakes as a pick me up,” Jackson suggests, and Jinyoung raises his eyebrows, momentarily distracted.  

 

“Are you asking me out?”

 

“Sorry.” Jackson laughs, “I have a date of my own tonight.”

 

Jinyoung gives Jackson a look at that, but Jackson doesn’t elaborate.

 

“Think of it as one of those self-Christmas presents.” Jackson jokes as he pulls up outside the hospital car park, and Jinyoung smacks him lightly across the chest.

 

 _Ah, yes, it was almost Christmas. Time to be extra lonely and sad._ Jinyoung thinks snarkily to himself.

 

“See you later.” Jinyoung mumbles and climbs out of Jackson’s car, not caring when he accidentally knocks over a snowman decoration next to the entrance.

  
(Maybe Jinyoung does apologise to the snowman after he picks it up, but the point is that Jinyoung _doesn’t care_.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit: i accidentally cropped out the first part when i first posted oopa so im sorry if things seemed weird :0000  
> hi!! i swear this chapter was going to be longer but i got distracted and i'm thinking of separating the last bits into two chapters instead of posting a large chunk of nonsense so- hope you enjoyed anyway!!  
> thank you for all the kind comments and kudos and most importantly- happy holidays!! the first few short chapters of the extra scenes/snippets thing will be posted next week before the update, so keep an eye out haha:)))  
> pls ask me stuff on my new[ cc](https://curiouscat.me/yuckgyeom/) thanks  
> 20171223


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shit! Jinyoung exclaims as he darts out of the cafe. Pancakes could wait, avoiding Jaebum was more important. 
> 
> Now, Jinyoung’s never been much of a brave man, but he’s always prided himself on being able to hold his ground. To be unashamed and proud of being who he is. 
> 
> But yet, here he is, hiding behind a large potted plant, nearly screaming because of Jaebum’s appearance.

Jinyoung’s already elbow deep in work when Jackson finally saunters into the ward, still in casual wear, and holding a cup of what seems like the latter’s favourite toffee latte.

 

Jinyoung doesn’t even bother greeting Jackson when he walks in, leafing through the thick stack of hospital procedures. There wasn’t anything about what the doctor (Jinyoung, in Jungkook’s case) could do when the patient’s legal guardians weren’t around to sign.

 

Jinyoung grits his teeth in frustration. Namjoon, who was more experienced than him, just had to go on vacation, and Jinyoung didn’t want to bother Doctor Son with such an amateur question.

 

Jinyoung’s best hope is probably one of the surgeons, but he isn’t exactly… on speaking terms… with them.

 

Okay, just one surgeon in particular, but Jinyoung’s sure that Jaebum hates him now.

 

It was also unlikely Jackson would know, since he didn’t deal with surgeries much, but he was worth a shot anyway.

 

“Jackson?” Jinyoung calls, and he hears muffled sounds come from the storage closet they use as a changing room.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Do you know what hospital protocol is when the patient’s guardian isn’t around to sign?” Jinyoung asks as he digs around in his phone for Namjoon’s number.

 

Jackson appears to have some difficulty getting into his sweatshirt,”Shit, I really shouldn’t have eaten that turkey last night! Uhh… I don’t know, Jinyoung. Sorry.”

 

Jinyoung sighs, disappointed but definitely not surprised. He calls Namjoon instead, tapping his foot impatiently as the phone rings.

 

“Hello?” Namjoon finally picks up right before Jinyoung loses his patience, and he wastes no time for pleasantries, cutting straight to the chase,”What’s protocol when the patient’s guardian can’t sign?”

 

“It's about Jungkook, is it?” Namjoon asks, and Jinyoung nods before catching himself, ”Yeah.”

 

“Ah, you should-” Jinyoung crans his ears to hear, but there’s major static on the other end.

 

“I’m sorry, what?” Jinyoung asks. _Please don’t die on me, Namjoon, you’re my last hope._

 

“I can’t talk now, sorry.” Jinyoung’s heart plummets with Namjoon’s words. “Ask Jaebum, maybe! He’ll know-”

 

The call ends abruptly just as Jackson walks out of the closet, ”No luck?”

 

“No luck,” Jinyoung replies grimly. He's never liked relying on the internet when it came to his patients, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

 

Jinyoung’s ready to google _korean hospital what to do when patient’s legal guardian isn’t in Korea_ when Jackson pipes up,”Why don’t you just ask Jaebum-hyung? I thought you wanted to explain things, or something.”

 

“Yeah, but it’s awkward.” Jinyoung complains, fingers dancing on his keyboard, typing his question into the search bar.

 

“You really should talk things out with him if you don’t want to act like a heartbroken teenager whenever his name is mentioned,” Jackson comments, and Jinyoung squints at the search results.

 

_South Korea to track mobile phones? What?_

 

“Yeah, you should talk to him, hyung.” Jimin comes back into the office from delivering breakfast to the kids. “We’re all tired of you angsting over him.”

 

“I’m not angsting!” Jinyoung objects strongly.

 

“Yes, you are.” Jimin and Jackson reply at the same time, and Jinyoung nearly plants his head into the table when his stupid friends burst into laughter and high five loudly.

 

“Fine, I’ll see if we bump into him during lunch.” Jinyoung decides to face his fear (Of rejection? Or just Jaebum?), despite his trembling fingers.

 

(They only manage to bump into Mark during lunch, and when Jinyoung finally gathers the courage to ask Mark where Jaebum is, the other only shrugs, “He’s not at work, Yugyeom’s sick.”

 

Jinyoung nearly flips at the mention of Yugyeom being sick, but Mark adds,”It’s just a cold, nothing big. I don’t even know why he took the day off actually, Yugyeom can take care of himself.” and Jinyoung relaxes. He asks Mark about the protocol thing, and Mark thankfully gives him a helpful answer.

 

Jinyoung leaves the cafeteria, satisfied but strangely upset. _Could Jaebum possibly be avoiding him?_ )

 

\-----

 

It still hadn’t rained yet when Jinyoung’s shift ends, and Jinyoung’s in the mood to be spontaneous for once, so he decides to take a detour to visit the cafe Jackson mentioned earlier.

 

It’s a small, unassuming cafe, tucked away neatly between a convenience store and the local post office. The striking green colour of the cafe clashes with the boring greys and whites of the neighbourhood, but Jinyoung finds it refreshing, wishing that he had brought a brighter scarf instead of his usual grey one.

 

Jinyoung hums apprehensively as he walks up the stars to the porch outside the cafe, admiring the small potted plants which lined the sides of the stairs. _The owner had clearly put thought into the decoration_ , Jinyoung thinks as he queues up for a coffee and some of those famous pancakes.

 

The cafe wasn’t big, but there were a fair number of customers, and when Jinyoung joined the queue, he had to stand outside the shop due to the people already queuing up before him. The matcha pancakes that Jackson mentioned were clearly a hit, and most tables had a stack of the fluffy green pancakes, which looked delicious heaped by an assortment of fresh berries. Jinyoung inhales in the cafe’s welcoming coffee scent- this was the perfect pick-me-up he needed.

 

Jinyoung peers inside the cafe, trying to see past the tall man in front of him. He eventually decides on getting a stack of pancakes and maybe the coffee of the day, which is-

 

Jinyoung cranes his neck to see clearly, barely making out the loopy writing on a chalkboard. Ah, so a toffee nut latte- _Oh no_.

 

Jinyoung just manages to hold back a squeal when he glimpses Im Jaebum, not taking care of a sick Yugyeom but sitting near the counter, sharing a stack of pancakes with someone (Not Yugyeom either!). He crouches slightly, now grateful for the customer’s height, hoping desperately that Jaebum wouldn’t see him.

 

“Next!” The barista chirps, and the man in front of Jinyoung takes a wide step forward as Jinyoung realises belatedly that he’s only two customers away from the counter.

 

 _Shit!_ Jinyoung exclaims as he darts out of the cafe. Pancakes could wait, avoiding Jaebum was more important.

 

Now, Jinyoung’s never been much of a brave man, but he’s always prided himself on being able to hold his ground. To be unashamed and proud of being who he is.

 

But yet, here he is, hiding behind a large potted plant, nearly screaming because of Jaebum’s appearance.

 

 _Okay, calm down, Park Jinyoung_ , Jinyoung tells himself. _I can just leave now, I’m not even that hungry yet, I’ll just go home and order takeout, I guess._ Jinyoung’s stomach rumbles, as if on cue, and Jinyoung rolls his eyes.

 

_Fine, maybe he did need food._

 

And Jinyoung’s not going to run away from Jaebum, he’s not going to let him stop him from getting what he wants (some damn good pancakes), Jinyoung tells himself firmly.

 

 _I’ll just stay here until he leaves_ , Jinyoung finally decide, standing outside the cafe and pretending to be waiting for a friend instead of avoiding his arch-nemesis/ friend/ colleague (A tiny, nasty voice in his head whispers _crush_ , and Jinyoung tells it to _Shut the fuck up_ ).

 

Jinyoung’s plan sounds perfect in theory- He’s just going to wait patiently for about 5 minutes, until Jaebum leaves with his friend, and Jinyoung can get his pancakes in peace. _Ah, yes, Jaebum’s guest_ \- Jinyoung peers into the cafe, taking his first good look at the person sitting across Jaebum. It’s a girl, with long, soft-looking auburn hair, taking dainty bites at her food.

 

Jinyoung tries to ignore the growing lump in his throat and notices that the duo had barely dented the heap of pancakes- great.

 

He was going to be here for a _long_ time.

 

\-----

 

It starts raining after a while, and Jinyoung huddles closer to the cafe, seeking shelter under the tiny canopy. He was going to get those pancakes, no matter what, even though Jaebum and his companion showed absolutely no sign of leaving. Jinyoung peers into the cafe- Most of the customers were already gone except the pair, who were still chatting amiably.

 

Most of the cafe staff had took their leave as well, leaving only a silver-haired barista standing next to the counter, staring at them and biting his lips anxiously.

 

Jinyoung can’t help but shake his head. The poor guy probably had to wait for a long time for the two to finish up. It starts raining more heavily, the steady pitter-patter mimicking Jinyoung’s heartbeat. Maybe if Jinyoung ran, he could get to the convenience store next door and buy an umbrella without getting too wet.

 

“Sorry sir,” A voice comes from Jinyoung’s left, and he turns to see the silver-haired barista sporting an apologetic smile,”We’re closing now, and I need to roll up the canopy, so…”

 

“Oh, I’m leaving now.” Jinyoung gulps as Jaebum’s companion leaves, invincible to the heavy rain because of her rainboots and umbrella. “Sorry for not buying anything, I was just, ah, waiting.”

 

“It’s alright, I get it, just come again another day.” The barista replies sympathetically, making Jinyoung feel even worse about himself. He tugs at the sleeve of his sweater -one of his favourites, oh god, it was going to be _ruined_ \- and stares at the girl’s large umbrella, wondering if it was already too late to umbrella-hitchhike.  

 

The barista already has one hand on the pull-out canopy handle, but he looks at Jinyoung,”Do you need me to lend you my umbrella? It’s raining pretty hard out there, you might catch a cold.”

 

“No, no, it’s fine.” Jinyoung replies, steadying himself. _Calm down_ _ _, Ji_ nyoung, it’s just rain. _ He closes his eyes, only paying attention to the battering of the rain, and not his racing heartbeat.

 

Jinyoung finally, _finally_ takes an experimental step into the rain, bracing himself for the ice cold raindrops, but the freezing sensation doesn’t come.

 

_Has the rain stopped?_

 

Jinyoung opens his eyes slowly, and of course- Jaebum is there, holding out an umbrella over their heads with an unreadable expression. He looks gorgeous as always, dark hair slicked back, but he’s frowning at Jinyoung, like he’s a tricky puzzle that he can't piece together, and Jinyoung suddenly finds it hard to breathe.

 

It’s Jaebum who breaks the silence, ”I’ll walk you to the station.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi!!  
> so i decided to split the last chapter into two parts, and here's part I!! jaebum doesn't really appear here, but enjoy jinyoung's internal struggling i guess :0000 i'll update soon, hopefully on friday since the part doesn't really make sense on it's own so look forward haha^^  
> please talk to me in the comments or on my shiny new [cc](https://curiouscat.me/yuckgyeom/)  
> thanks for all the nice comments and kudos i'll work hard to make sure the finale doesn't disappoint!!  
> 20171231 (/annoying kid voice/ see you next year!1!)


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Oh, shut up.”
> 
>  
> 
> Jaebum’s still looking at Jinyoung, but his stare is intense now, like his life depends on Jinyoung’s answer.
> 
>  
> 
> Now or never, Park Jinyoung.
> 
>  
> 
> “But I do, like you, you know,” Jinyoung swallows. “I do like you.”

_Jinyoung finally, finally takes an experimental step into the rain, bracing himself for the ice cold raindrops, but the freezing sensation doesn’t come._

 

_Has the rain stopped?_

 

_Jinyoung opens his eyes slowly, and of course- Jaebum is there, holding out an umbrella over their heads with an unreadable expression. He looks gorgeous as always, dark hair slicked back, but he’s frowning at Jinyoung, like he’s a tricky puzzle that he can’t piece together, and Jinyoung suddenly finds it hard to breathe._

 

_It’s Jaebum who breaks the silence, ”I’ll walk you to the station.”_

 

Jinyoung nods mutely, and the rest of the short walk is quiet, none of them attempting to make conversation, but Jinyoung seeing how he reaches the umbrella to Jinyoung’s side, leaving his right side under the rain instead.

 

Driven by a sudden impulse, Jinyoung reaches to drag Jaebum back under the umbrella- it was big enough for the both of them anyway. Jaebum flinches at the touch, but Jinyoung doesn’t miss how he relaxes a little, ruffling his own hair so that it falls down into its usual fringe.

 

The rain stops after a while, and Jinyoung mourns as Jaebum closes his umbrella, taking a step away from him. There’s only a couple of people passing by, and Jinyoung sees a train exit not far away, the bright neon sign glaring at him.

 

“Thanks,” Jinyoung isn’t sure of what to say, awkward for some reason.

 

_Maybe it’s because you like him, maybe it's because you just saw him on A Date with someone that’s not-_

 

“No problem,” Jaebum turns to leave, and Jinyoung wants to say _Good night/ Thank you/ Don’t go/ I’m sorry_ but of course, he doesn’t say any of those things because he’s scared, Jinyoung’s _scared_ of being rejected and lied to.

 

“Bye, Jinyoung,” Jaebum waves at Jinyoung, smiling ambiguously but genuinely, and Jinyoung suddenly just knows that he doesn’t want to let Jaebum leave, not when he’s so perfect and just _right there_ and Jinyoung’s pretty much in love with him.

 

He isn’t going to say goodbye, not like this, not yet.

 

“Wait,” Jinyoung nearly shouts, causing a few curious gazes from passer-bys, and he smiles back meekly, muttering his apologies.

 

“Yes, Jinyoung?” Jaebum’s smiling when he turns around, pausing like he had expected Jinyoung to call for him.

 

“We should talk.” Yes, talking sounded good.

 

“About what?” Jaebum arches an eyebrow haughtily, but Jinyoung can see by the near-invisible tremble of his crossed arms that Jaebum’s every bit as nervous as Jinyoung about this.

 

“Us. The secret santa thing.” Jinyoung racks his brain for the right words. “Your note.”

 

“I’m not really in the mood to have my heart broken again.” Jaebum says, words cold but warm eyes teasing, and Jinyoung forces himself to keep talking instead of clamming up.

 

“I really enjoyed it, the secret santa thing- even though it wasn’t an actual scheme.” Jinyoung takes a deep breath. “Not because I thought it was Mark, but because I appreciated the gesture.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Yeah.” Jinyoung’s really gone and done it now, but Jaebum’s still looking at him, like he expects a confession or something.

 

“So thank you, I guess.” Jinyoung replies lamely, but Jaebum laughs a little.

 

“I was expecting a ‘I like you so much, hyung!’ or something of the sort, but I guess I’ll take what I can.” The sky is dark by now, and Jinyoung can’t really see, but was Jaebum blushing?

 

“Thank you, Jinyoungie.” Jaebum’s voice is soft, so gentle that Jinyoung wants to say some really weird things, and Jinyoung actually does that.

 

”You want me to call you hyung? How old are you?”

 

Jaebum bursts into loud, raunchy laughter, showing all of his teeth, and Jinyoung realizes what he’s just said.

 

Jinyoung stammers, mortified, ”I- I mean, I was born in September 1994, so-”

 

“I’m older than you.” Jaebum stops laughing for a second to reply,”I was born in January.”

 

Jaebum keeps laughing, and Jinyoung doesn’t know if he should feel proud or be embarrassed.

 

“Stop it, people are staring.”

 

“So are you gonna say it or not?” Jaebum fixes his eyes on Jinyoung, suddenly serious, and Jinyoung gulps.

 

“Do you like me, Jinyoung?” Jaebum smirks, but it’s all mischief and no malice. “Your _hyung_?”

 

“Oh, shut up.”

 

Jaebum’s still looking at Jinyoung, but his stare is intense now, like his life depends on Jinyoung’s answer.

 

_Now or never, Park Jinyoung._

 

“But I do, like you, you know,” Jinyoung swallows. “I do like you.”

 

Jinyoung gnaws at his lips anxiously: how would jaebum react? what would they be after this- back to being awkward, or something more?

 

“Hey, you know back in the cafe? I was with that girl, right?” Jaebum asks, all of a sudden, and Jinyoung frowns, not sure how to answer.

 

“I know you saw, you kept peeking through the plant-” Jaebum laughs, boyish and open, and Jinyoung’s sure he’s blushing as he protests, ”I did not, and why were you there anyway? I thought you didn’t like coffee.”

 

“My cousin -the girl who was with me- likes coffee.” Jaebum explains, ”I was only there for the pancakes.”

 

“How kind of you to tolerate the stench of coffee for two hours,” Jinyoung quips, but Jaebum only smiles a little before continuing, watching Jinyoung closely.

 

“I was actually asking her for advice to deal with a very special someone.” Jinyoung freezes, because- _what?_

 

“Someone I really, really liked. A colleague from work, actually.” Jaebum sighs, raising his eyebrows at Jinyoung. “I used to think that he might like me back too, in time, but now he runs away from me before I can say anything.”

 

“Well-” Jinyoung opens his mouth to retort that _he was standing right in front of Jaebum and not running away, thank you very much_ , before registering the first part of Jaebum’s speech.

 

Jinyoung frowns.

 

_This couldn’t be real, it must be one of his weirdly vivid dreams again._

 

But then Jaebum leans in close, so close that Jinyoung can see his own nervousness reflected in Jaebum's eyes, and jinyoung can't think anymore.

 

Time seems to hold still as Jinyoung stares, wide-eyed, while Jaebum presses his warm lips to jinyoung's. The kiss is far from perfect, obviously- Jinyoung is frozen, unable to react, while Jaebum's hands rest uncomfortably by his sides. But Jaebum's lips are warm and a little chapped, and Jinyoung nearly melts from the sincerity and softness of the kiss.

 

The kiss goes on for a few seconds, until Jaebum detects the lack of participation on Jinyoung’s part and pulls away.

 

Jaebum rambles endearingly as he apologises -what for, Jinyoung doesn’t know-,"I'm sorry, I don't know what got into me-" and Jinyoung pulls him back into another kiss, eliciting a small gasp from Jaebum- one he wouldn’t mind getting out of him again.  

 

Jinyoung daringly wraps his hands around Jaebum's neck to pull him closer, fingertips grazing the tips of his hair, and Jaebum's warm hands move closer to rest on jinyoung's hips comfortably.

 

The chemistry between them is undeniable- Jinyoung feels his insides fizzle with sparks while Jaebum tugs and nips at his lips, one hand moving up to cup his face gently. When Jaebum finally pulls away, they're both breathing hard, Jaebum's hand lingering on Jinyoung's cheek, and Jinyoung feels almost giddy.

 

“Go out with me, Jinyoung.” Jaebum says, eyes dancing with mirth, and Jinyoung might just fall for him a little bit more.

 

Jinyoung almost forgets to reply, distracted by the way Im Jaebum -Jaebum- rubs tiny circles on his face with his warm hands, like Jinyoung’s something precious.

 

“Of course I will,” Jinyoung blurts, ”Do you want to go on a date or something? I can text you the address of this really nice restaurant, the food is -Wait, I don’t even have your phone number, I’m so sorry, this is terrible-”

 

Jinyoung doesn’t even notice that he’s rambling until Jaebum laughs, touching his lips gently and Jinyoung can’t help but lean into his warmth a little.

 

“Don’t worry, we have plenty of time to start again.” Jaebum says before kissing Jinyoung again, and Jinyoung gets his breath taken away- literally and metaphorically.

 

\------

 

 

**+82 2-779-1421** : did you get home safe

 

 **+82 2-779-1421** : this is Jaebum, by the way

 

 **Park Jinyoung** : i know, you idiot

 

 **Park Jinyoung** : i’m home now

 

 **+82 2-779-1421:** oh me too

 

 **Park Jinyoung:** how’s Yugyeom btw

 

 **Park Jinyoung:** jackson said he was sick

 

 **Park Jinyoung:** i forgot abt him earlier  

 

 **+82 2-779-1421** : not very professional of you, dr park

 

 **+82 2-779-1421** : the sick before dicks smh

 

 **+82 2-779-1421** : (he’s fine, just a small cold)

 

 **Park Jinyoung:** oh my god

 

 **Park Jinyoung:** why are you like this

 

 **Park Jinyoung:** let’s break up

 

 **+82 2-779-1421** : calm down we weren’t even dating

 

 **Park Jinyoung:** ok ex bf

 

 **+82 2-779-1421** : are u saying i’m your boyfriend now??

 

 **Park Jinyoung:** what

 

 **+82 2-779-1421** : at least let me take you on a date first

 

 **Park Jinyoung:** ????

 

 **+82 2-779-1421** : i know you want to~

 

 **Park Jinyoung:** ok fine

\-----

 

Jinyoung gets coerced into going on a date with Jaebum two days later, and he’s completely unprepared.

 

“Stop whining.” Jackson says firmly when Jinyoung calls him at midnight, ”You could show up in a potato sack, and Jaebum-hyung would still look at you like you’re the only thing in the world worth looking at.”

 

“Oh shit, do I have to call him hyung now?” Jinyoung worries, but Jackson only huffs in an experated manner.

 

“Don’t fuss, Jinyoung. Merry christmas, go to bed.” “Shit yeah it was Christmas today- yesterday, it’s boxing day today, do I have to buy him a gift-”

 

The call ends, and Jinyoung glares accusingly at his phone. He calls Jimin instead, but Jimin cuts him off before Jinyoung even speaks.

 

Jinyoung is ready to dial again when he gets a text from Jimin: it’s a list of what he should wear to his date with Jaebum, titled -Jinyoung squints- titled October 12th?

 

 _Jimin has been planning this for two months?_ Jinyoung smiles to himself as his phone lights up again with a text from Jimin: _go to sleep, hyung!_

 

(Jinyoung rolls over and does as Jimin says, but that doesn’t mean he’s not nervous.)

 

The next day, Jinyoung dresses as Jimin suggested and waits for Jaebum at the hospital entrance after his shift.

 

Jinyoung’s five minutes early, so he waits inside the automatic doors, tugging on his sleeves nervously. He digs out his phone, rereading Jaebum’s texts confirming the date.

 

(Even the word date seems unreal, and Jinyoung’s scared that if he closes his eyes, just for a second, he’ll wake up in his bed and find out the past two days were just a long dream.)

 

“Hey, you’re here early.” Jinyoung hears someone say, and he turns around to see Jaebum, dressed simply in a white shirt and dark blazer, but looking like he just stepped out of a high-profile magazine shoot.

 

Jaebum smiles, and Jinyoung feels himself relax, beaming back at Jaebum, ”Hi.”

 

It’s mesmerizing how Jaebum’s eyes crinkle at the edges as he grins at Jinyoung fondly, and Jinyoung just stares back at him fondly for a moment. A few weeks ago, Jinyoung would laugh at the idea of going on a date with Im Jaebum, of all people, but now Jinyoung couldn’t ask for anything more.

 

Their moment is only broken when there’s a loud “excuse me” and they move away to let a wheelchair pass, both of them apologizing profusely as the staff complains about “Young people these days.”  

 

Jaebum shoves his hands into his pockets, embarrassed, but he’s still smiling when he turns back to Jinyoung. “Let’s go?” He asks, cheeks tinted pink, and Jinyoung nods, falling into step with Jaebum as they leave the hospital.

 

Conversation is easy and comfortable as they head towards the restaurant which they decided to go through text. Jaebum has this really cute habit of touching his adam’s apple when he’s thinking, and Jinyoung can’t help but stare. Jaebum’s interesting to both talk to and listen to, and Jinyoung is delighted to discover that they have similar interests.

 

“I can’t believe you’ve read The Alchemist too, none of my friends have, even though it’s so fascinating!” Jinyoung can’t help but gush, nearly dropping his scarf in excitement.

 

Jaebum grabs his scarf before it falls, and holds the end as Jinyoung struggles to wind it around his neck, flustered.

 

“You’re cute.” Jaebum laughs when Jinyoung finally ties the scarf around his neck, and Jinyoung’s a hundred percent sure that he’s blushing now.

 

“I’m not, shut up.” Jinyoung reaches out to smack Jaebum, who only grins at him and clasps Jinyoung’s hand in his own.

 

“You are.”

 

Jinyoung struggles to pull away, but Jaebum’s grip is too strong, and his hand is warm anyway, so he holds on begrudgingly.

 

“Is this okay?” Jaebum asks softly as they keep walking, ever considerate, and Jinyoung squeezes his hand in response,”It’s fine.”

 

 _It’s everything I could’ve wanted,_ Jinyoung wants to say, but decides to keep it for later.

 

The restaurant they picked turns out to be a few blocks away from the cafe which sold matcha pancakes, and as they walk past the little shop, Jaebum teases,”Wanna go here instead?”  

 

The kind silver-haired barista waves at Jinyoung as they pass by, and Jinyoung jumps a little, shocked,”No thanks.”

 

Jaebum waves back, damn him, and smirks at Jinyoung,”Really? They have really good pancakes.”

 

“Really good pancakes that I missed out because of you.” Jinyoung mutters, but Jaebum only laughs, still looking at Jinyoung like he’s captivated.

 

“Maybe next time, I guess.” Jinyoung tugs on Jaebum’s hand, trying to get him to walk faster, but Jaebum pulls him back. When Jinyoung looks back at him, Jaebum is smiling,”Next time?”

 

Realising what he’s just said, Jinyoung glares at Jaebum, ears flushed red,”You know what I meant, not today.”

 

Jaebum winks at Jinyoung greasily, ”I get it, you want more dates.”

 

They’ve arrived outside the restaurant, and Jinyoung is ready to deliver one of his famed punches to Jaebum’s waist, but then Jaebum grins at him.

 

”Good thing I want more too.”

 

Jinyoung nearly splutters, only holding it in in front of the waiter, who’s come to show them to their seats. “This way, please.” The poor waiter glances at Jinyoung and scurries into the restaurant, giving Jinyoung no choice but to follow along with Jaebum.

 

Jaebum’s still smiling broadly when they sit down, and Jinyoung fumbles for a response, “Are you always this shameless?”

 

“Only with you.” This time Jinyoung really does punch him, and Jaebum raises his hands in mock surrender before grabbing a menu.

 

“The steak here is really good.” Jaebum leafs through the menu, humming thoughtfully, and something flutters in Jinyoung’s chest.

 

It feels good, to be happy just like this, and Jinyoung wouldn’t have it any other way.

 

(Or with any person other than Im Jaebum, but Jinyoung’s not admitting that yet.)

 

“I think we should try the apple pie.” Jinyoung says, staring at the mouth-watering picture of a slice of golden apple pie served with vanilla ice cream.

 

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away?” Jaebum says, and Jinyoung rolls his eyes.

 

_What else did he expect._

 

Jinyoung racks his brain for a fitting dad joke as retaliation, but Jaebum speaks again.

 

“No amount of apples would keep me away from you, Jinyoung.”

 

The words are smarmy, but Jaebum’s grin is genuine, like he really means it, and Jinyoung allows himself to smile.

 

( _“See, you like it when I say things like that!”_

 

 _“No, I don’t.”_ )

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ive been miserable these days n there's something wrong with the wifi but hey!! last chapter!! right in time before jb's birthday!! i'm so thankful for all of you who have read this fic and liked it, it's been a fun ride and i'll definitely miss writing it very much but i'll keep posting jb povs and scenes after they /really/ start dating on [apple crumble](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13156098/)  
> so it's not the end of their story yet haha  
> hoped you've liked the finale and please do talk to me about these losers (got7) in the comments or on my [cc](https://curiouscat.me/yuckgyeom/)  
> (not that anyone wants to know but jb's phone number is actually that of a chicken restaurant in seoul i think im funny like that hdrsghb) 
> 
> 20180105 fin

**Author's Note:**

> hello! ive had an idea for a medical au since august and ive finally gotten around to writing it so im so excited!! this is kinda messy and i dont really have medical knowledge (everything is from my firsthand experience visiting the hospital so it can be a little off) so yell at me in the comments or on [twitter](https://www.twitter.com/moonlikeurs/) and [tumblr](http://www.iwaoiyoonminphan.tumblr.com/)  
> 20170925


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